A skating rink and a drive-in movie theater were on Raymone Thomas’ list of business ventures she considered pursuing in New Kensington. Ultimately, she settled on a laundromat.
Seeing other skating rinks close in the area made her wonder whether one could work. She also worried about liability, safety and everything that comes with serving food. The biggest strike against a drive-in was the land that would be needed. But backed up by the findings of a demographic study, Thomas said there is a need for a laundromat not only for the community but also for herself.
Highlights of the research by Pittsburgh Laundry Systems are that half of the city’s nearly 5,000 households are rentals, which is considered an “excellent ratio,” and that there is only one competitor in the area.
“It’s something that will never go out of business. It’s not just something that comes and goes with the times,” Thomas said. “Even myself as a homeowner, I’m always in need of a backup washer and dryer service or when it’s a bigger comforter you can’t fit or want to get everything done.”
After about two years of work, Thomas is nearly ready to open her business, Rinsed & Reloaded, at 410 10th St. in a building that had previously housed a laundromat, Laundry Express. Thomas, who is waiting on final inspections, doesn’t have a date yet for when it will open, but a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house is set for 2 p.m. Saturday. New Kensington Mayor Tom Guzzo will attend.
“I think it’s great that we have a laundromat opening downtown,” he said. “Raye has put in a lot of hard work in order to prepare to open it, and I have no doubt it will be very successful.” Thomas, 38, of Arnold is a registered nurse at West Penn Hospital and in the New Kensington-Arnold School District, primarily at the Roy Hunt and H.D. Berkey elementary schools.
As much as for herself, Thomas said she is opening a business for her four sons - Raydn, 14, Rayne, 12, Tre, 10, and Raycen, 9. “I want to pass it on to them,” she said. “My whole purpose is to invest and give back to my community.”
Attending classes at The Corner, Penn State’s entrepreneurial center in New Kensington, helped her to understand the city’s population, its needs and what business would be most beneficial. Alyssa Pistininzi, community operations manager at The Corner, said Thomas participated in two of its programs. “Raymone and her team participated in our Idea Test Lab and Opportunity Accelerator programs, both designed to help individuals explore their business ideas and dreams so they can begin assessing how to move forward to achieve their goals,” she said. “The Idea Test Lab, in particular, focuses on customer discovery and begins teaching participants about some of the beginning steps to start a business. We are thrilled to see her continue on her entrepreneurial journey and very excited to have Rinsed & Reloaded as part of the New Kensington business district!”
The building had been vacant for more than five years and needed a lot of work. “It was horrible,” she said.
Despite that, because it previously had been a laundromat, some of the needed utility infrastructure was already there, making it better than other possible locations in the city. Work on the space began when she got the keys in August. The building is owned by brothers Michael and Theodore “Teddy” Saganis, who also own residential rental property in the area. Teddy Saganis said they were planning on opening a laundromat of their own there until Thomas showed interest. “I think this is great,” he said. “We need this for our tenants.”
James Neff said he has wanted a laundromat closer to his home on Third Avenue for a long time. He now rides a bus to get to one in Springdale and does his laundry only about every two weeks. With one less than two blocks away he can walk to, Neff said he will do his wash more frequently. “We need it badly, very badly,” he said. “It looks like a nice place.”
With the first floor rehabilitated for the laundry, Teddy Saganis said they plan to have apartments on the building’s second and third floors. The laundry features new Huebsch machines. There are a dozen washers - eight 22 pounds, two 40 pounds and two 60 pounds - and a dozen dryers - eight 30 pounds and four 45 pounds. For customers, there will be a television and a chalkboard wall for children. Thomas said she hopes to have a drop-off laundry service. The laundromat will be operated within her family. Photos of the building before and during its transformation will be displayed. “I want people to see where we came from,” Thomas said. “We made something out of nothing.”
Filmed June 2024
Filmed & Edited by Shaun Lawrence
Shaun Wave Films
1 июл 2024
