One of the more difficult parts about owning a business during the COVID-19 pandemic is that there is no road map to help navigate\u00a0the\u00a0future. There\u2019s no guidance on how to\u00a0make the difficult decisions that need to be made and\u00a0know what policies should be\u00a0put in place for future success.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Leah Schulte and her business partner\/brother Chris own Midtown Washboard in St. Charles, Missouri. The laundromat was operating for about a year and a half before COVID-19 hit.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\u201cWe thought laundry is a nice, solid investment,\u201d\u00a0Leah\u00a0said about the reasoning behind going into the industry.\u00a0Leah\u00a0also works as a physical therapist when she\u2019s not running the laundromat, and her brother Chris is a pilot. \u201cWe were thinking about this as an opportunity for a while, then this\u00a0great location came up in St. Charles next to a grocery store, so we decided to go for it,\u201d\u00a0Leah\u00a0said.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
The far-reaching effects of COVID-19 weren\u2019t the first adversities to affect Midtown Washboard, though.\u00a0Leah\u00a0said the business faced a series of\u00a0challenges with the build-out and staff retention. \u201cIt\u2019s par for the course for small business owners, but we have a good crew now and we\u2019re enjoying each phase of the ride, as we\u2019ve always been,\u201d\u00a0she\u00a0said.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
As the severity of COVID-19 became more apparent, the siblings\u00a0 took precautions,\u00a0such as removing all kid\u2019s toys, installing a shield in front of the cash register, minimizing staff\u2019s handling of laundry, highly encouraging social distancing, reducing operating hours and providing multiple ways to disinfect surfaces,\u00a0such as hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes. Staff also completed additional training to ensure cleanliness procedures were in place and diligently followed.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
As COVID-19 restrictions and recommendations become more relaxed in some states, Schulte and Chris are taking precautions to set their business up for future success,\u00a0in spite of any additional difficulties related to the pandemic. A few of those precautions include continuing to encourage social distancing and wearing face masks. They are also\u00a0changing the layout of the store to provide more space between customers who choose to stay in the laundromat while their clothes are washing and drying.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll continue to wipe everything down regularly and customers can call\u00a0us,\u00a0and we\u2019ll go out to their car to get their laundry,\u201d\u00a0Leah\u00a0said. \u201cWe\u2019re starting to gear up again to offer some pickup and delivery services, but we\u2019ll make sure those are safe too.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Leah\u00a0said the business is starting to see more of its commercial customers return as businesses are beginning to operate again, but business is still down about 15\u00a0percent\u00a0from pre-COVID-19 levels. To bring back customers, Midtown Washboard started a promotion on Wednesdays for $1 off and is running a coupon special for $5 off comforters for wash-dry-\u00a0fold customers.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just the new normal,\u201d\u00a0she\u00a0said. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to adjust. Maybe our DIY customers will come in less frequently now, we\u2019re not sure.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Midtown Washboard is back to operating during its pre-COVID hours of 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., but anyone who visits the location will notice a decrease in seating, locked bathrooms to encourage cleanliness and the Schultes will likely not bring back any of the kid\u2019s toys, at least anytime soon. Leah mentioned that before the pandemic, the laundromat was\u00a0already known for its cleanliness and sanitation efforts, and\u00a0will continue to provide a clean, safe environment for its customers to wash and dry their clothes going forward.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
\u201cSome people have been disappointed they can\u2019t just hang out and play on their\u00a0phones anymore, and we have a different seating arrangement in the store,\u201d\u00a0Leah\u00a0said. \u201cWe were well-known for our sanitation and cleanliness efforts before the pandemic, and we will continue to do that in the future. We all have to adapt and move forward while keeping ourselves and others safe.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
One of the more difficult parts about owning a business<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":6427,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[79,1],"tags":[636],"class_list":["post-6395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-laundromats","category-news","tag-covid-19"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n