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The Spin Cycle
A neighborhood coin laundry on Maple Avenue — twelve years of quarters, detergent, and knowing every machine by its mood.
Maintained by Elena & Marcus VossBuild your own
Carried forward from the previous owners (the Yee family, 2008) — originally maintained as a three-ring binder in the back office.
The Basics
What you need to know before you turn the key on day one — utilities, lease, and the rhythm of the place.
Lease runs through March 2028 with a 5-year renewal option
The current lease is $4,200 per month NNN. Landlord is Maple Avenue Properties (Diane Kerr, 612-555-0192). Renewal rate is capped at 3% annual increase. The lease requires 90 days notice if you intend to non-renew. We have never had a late payment and the relationship is strong — Diane prefers long-term tenants and rarely raises rent at renewal.
Open 6:00am–10:00pm, seven days a week
We have never been open 24 hours — the neighborhood doesn't support it and the insurance premium jumps significantly. The 6am crowd is working parents and hospital staff. The busiest window is Saturday 9am–1pm. Sundays are steady but calm. We close for Thanksgiving and Christmas Day only.
From the owner
ElenaOwnerJan 8
We tried extended hours in 2019 (open until midnight). It attracted almost no additional revenue and the vandalism incidents doubled. Went back to 10pm and never looked back.
Water and electric average $1,850/month combined
Water is the bigger bill — about $1,100 in winter, $1,400 in summer when the machines run harder. Electric is more stable at $450–$650 depending on dryer load. We switched to LED overhead lighting in 2021 and it cut the electric bill by about 18%. The city offers a small-business utility rebate program; we file annually in January.
Equipment & Maintenance
The machines are the business. Here's what we know about each one, who fixes them, and what to watch for.
Sixteen washers: ten 20-lb, four 40-lb, two 60-lb
All Speed Queen. The 20-lb units are SC20MD2, installed 2016. The 40-lb and 60-lb are newer, SC40 and SC60 from 2021. The 20-lb units are starting to show bearing wear — three have been rebuilt already. Rebuild costs about $800 per machine through Northwest Commercial Laundry (Raul Mendez, 612-555-0287). Raul is honest and fast; his crew can swap a bearing in 90 minutes.
Twelve stack dryers, all 30-lb capacity
Speed Queen ST30, installed 2019. These have been remarkably reliable. The only recurring issue is lint buildup in the exhaust ducts — we have them professionally cleaned every April and October by DuctWorks ($280 per visit). If a dryer starts taking longer than 45 minutes for a standard load, check the exhaust first before calling a tech. The lint filter on these is a pull-out drawer, not a screen, and customers constantly forget to empty it.
From the owner
MarcusOwnerMar 15
We keep a shop vac behind the counter just for lint. Emptying the filters every morning takes five minutes and prevents 80% of dryer complaints.
Two coin changers, both Hamilton XE
One accepts bills up to $20, the other up to $10. The bill acceptors need cleaning every six weeks or they start rejecting crisp bills. We use a can of compressed air and a microfiber cloth dipped in isopropyl alcohol. The coin tubes hold $175 in quarters each; we refill them twice a day on weekends. Raul also services these if they jam.
Two 80-gallon commercial water heaters, 2020
Bradford White. They run in parallel, not series, which means if one fails the other can handle about 60% of peak load. The anode rods should be checked every two years — we had one fail in 2023 and it corroded the tank from the inside. Replacement was $2,800 including labor. Set the thermostats to 140°F; any lower and the health inspector flags you, any higher and you risk scalding liability.
Operations & Daily Routine
The small routines that keep the place running smoothly and the customers happy.
One attendant on duty during all open hours
The attendant is not optional — it's what separates this place from the unattended laundromats across town. Their job is half customer service, half maintenance: greet regulars, help new customers figure out the machines, empty lint traps, wipe down surfaces, and handle the coin changers. We pay $16/hour plus a small quarterly bonus tied to machine uptime. Current lead attendant is Rosa Castillo; she's been with us since 2019 and knows every customer by name.
From the owner
ElenaOwnerFeb 2
Rosa has keys, alarm codes, and vendor contacts. If she ever leaves, the next person will need six months to build the same trust with the regulars. Treat her well.
Detergent vending and a small retail shelf
We sell single-use detergent pods, dryer sheets, and stain pens from a vending machine near the entrance. The margins are thin but it saves customers a trip to the store. We restock every Monday from Sam's Club. The retail shelf also has mesh laundry bags and folding baskets we buy from a wholesaler in St. Paul. The baskets are surprisingly popular — we sell about ten a month.
Lost and found lives in a plastic bin behind the counter
We keep items for 30 days, then donate them to the shelter on 5th Street. Socks dominate, but we have also found wallets, phones, a set of car keys (never claimed), and once a small gold ring that a customer came back for three weeks later. Rosa logs everything in a notebook.
The Neighborhood & Customers
The people who make this place more than just a row of machines.
About forty regulars who come the same day every week
Tuesday morning is the retirees. Thursday evening is the medical residents from County General. Saturday is families. A handful of customers have been coming since before we bought the place in 2012. They don't just do laundry here — they talk, they share news, they check in on each other. That atmosphere is the reason people drive past two other laundromats to get here.
Eight spaces out front, shared with the bakery next door
The agreement is informal but has held for twenty years: four spaces for us, four for the bakery. Saturday mornings it gets tight. Customers know to use the street parking on Maple if the lot is full. The city does not enforce time limits on Saturdays.
The bakery next door gives our customers 10% off coffee
We scratch each other's backs. We put their flyers on our bulletin board; they put our business cards by their register. About half our Saturday morning customers grab a pastry and coffee while they wait. The bakery is Honey & Wheat, owned by Priya and Tom Sharma. They're good people.
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