The Laundromat or coin laundry industry started in the 1930′s in Forth Worth, Texas by Andrew Clein at a time when electric washer machines were starting to become common in the United States. The introduction of washer machines enclosed within a secure cabinet and the availability of coin slot mechanisms made it possible for the Laundromat industry to evolve into its present form. In the 1940′s the modern form of the electric dryer was introduced and incorporated into the Laundromat industry.

Today the Laundromat industry is a $5 billion dollar industry with about 35,000 Laundromat businesses in the United States alone. And while there have been attempts to create national chains in the Laundromat industry, all of them have failed due to nature of the business. Where the traditional economics of scale usually applied in other industries do not work in the Laundromat industry. Therefore, most operators of Laundromats are small business owners.

If you are interested in becoming a Laundromat operator, you will find useful information on this site about the basics of evaluating potential laundromat locations, existing coin laundry operations, equipment suppliers, general store operation issues, etc.