A growing trend in Brooklyn is transforming one of our most dreaded chores into an opportunity for connection.<\/p>\n
Across the borough, entrepreneurs have been pairing laundromats with amenities such as bars, coffee shops, live music venues and hangout spots, hoping to make laundry day more enjoyable while creating a sense of community.<\/p>\n
Improving your least favorite chore<\/p>\n
At Pearl Lee’s Washtub<\/a> in Brooklyn, customers can do more than wash their clothes. The business combines a laundromat with a bar and entertainment venue, hosting monthly live music and comedy events.<\/p>\n “We had a customer move out of the neighborhood, and they had their going away parties here,” said Kirk Kennedy, general manager of the family-owned business named after their matriarch.<\/p>\n Kennedy said the concept was designed to improve an experience that few people enjoy.<\/p>\n “The majority of people don’t like doing the laundry. It’s like the worst chore ever,” he tells Brooklyn reporter Hannah Kliger. “To give … our customer base an outlet to do something else without leaving the laundromat, that’s our goal, to keep you here.”<\/p>\n The concept resonates in New York City, where many residents live in apartments without in-unit washers and dryers and must leave home to do their laundry.<\/p>\n Park Slope resident Uma Mahto said the added amenities make the task more appealing.<\/p>\n “More compelled to sit here and work. Makes it easier to do laundry,” Mahto said.<\/p>\n Do your laundry, have a latte<\/p>\n In Downtown Brooklyn, Laundry & Latte<\/a> combines a laundromat with a coffee shop. Owner and founder J.R. Dumas said the idea came after he visited roughly 100 laundromats throughout the city and noticed opportunities to improve the customer experience.<\/p>\n “Laundromats … still are operating with coin and nowhere to sit. And no customer service,” he said, hoping to create a “third space” concept where people can meet over a cup of coffee.\u00a0<\/p>\n The business is part of a larger trend washing over Brooklyn, with laundromats increasingly paired with gathering spaces designed to help customers make better use of their time while waiting for their clothes.<\/p>\n Brooklyn Heights resident Olivia Winck said the setup works well for those hoping to squeeze wash day into their lunch break.<\/p>\n “I have a remote job, so it makes sense for me to come, bring my laptop,” she said.<\/p>\n “People coming here have a sense or feeling like they waste their time … While they’re waiting, having a coffee was something obvious to me that should go together with a laundromat,” Dumas said.<\/p>\n A spin cycle, it seems, can also come with a side of community.<\/p>\n Have a story idea or tip in Brooklyn? Email Hannah by\u00a0CLICKING HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n