AKRON, Ohio — Jeff Sitz, a fourth-generation dry cleaner in Akron, comes from a long line of family members invested in the drycleaning business. But he not only operates a robust restoration and drycleaning business, he also runs two high-speed laundries — branded Laundromat City — which he says are even more profitable.
“I really enjoy the self-service laundry business,” says Sitz, who also owns City Cleaners — made up of a drycleaning plant and five satellite retail stores. Dry cleaning and laundry are run as separate businesses, yet they co-mingle nicely, he adds.
“Once you’ve owned a dry cleaner, owning a laundromat is pretty simple,” he says. “We want to be top of the market and for people to know we are different. Our customers probably pay more for it, but it’s a better experience than they can get anywhere else.”
All told, the vended laundry side of his business not only complements the drycleaning side, it outperforms it.
“There’s a lot less labor involved in vended laundries when compared with dry cleaning,” says Sitz. “It’s a major unexpected upside.”
Sharing Resources Between Businesses
Moreover, certain areas of crossover make for improved efficiency and lower overhead costs.
For example, all wash/dry/fold (WDF) work from the dry cleaner is processed at the laundromats; the drycleaning and laundry sides share delivery routes and point-of-sale software; and both the dry cleaner and the laundries are often co-marketed.
Plus, all drycleaning retail work — bed linens, bath towels and casual clothing — is processed after hours, between 2 and 7 a.m. at one of the Laundromat City locations.
“We use more than 50% of our first laundry’s equipment for this purpose,” Sitz says. “The laundries also allow us to handle additional growth at the dry cleaner or we would have had to move to a larger plant.”
Enter the Laundromat City Brand
Sitz expanded into the vended laundry business with his first, fully attended store in Akron, in 2019, adjacent to the City Cleaners plant. His second, a 5,000-square-foot laundry, debuted in May 2023 in Canton, roughly 20 miles south of Akron. Both were born from extensive renovations to owned real estate.
Although Sitz coordinated and performed a lot of the renovation work himself, Akron-based Advantage Equipment Inc., a Continental Girbau laundry equipment distributor, was key to creating a successful end-product designed to stand apart. Advantage assisted with store layout, design, equipment selection, installation, and more, according to Sitz.
For the newest Laundromat City, Sitz purchased and extensively renovated an old drycleaning plant. He mimicked the first store’s high-speed, super-service mantra and expects a full return on investment in four to five years.
“It’s about differentiating ourselves from the competition and delivering a better product to the consumer,” says Sitz.
Both laundries are equipped with Continental ExpressWash® Washers and ExpressDry® Dryers. The soft-mount washers, which range in capacity from 20 to 80 pounds, don’t require bolt-down like hard-mount machines and generate higher extract speeds. Spin speeds reaching 408 G-force remove more moisture from laundry and, in turn, cut resulting dry time in half. The added bonus? A lower utility bill.
Completing Laundry in an Hour
“People want to get in and out faster,” says Sitz. “At my laundries, it takes just 17 to 20 minutes to wash and 20 minutes to dry. This time savings elevates customer service, while allowing for more turns per day.”
Plus, the high-speed washers bring more washing options and cycle features to the customer. In addition to the primary cycles—Superwash, Hot, Warm and Cold—customers can add an Extra Wash, Extra Rinse or Extra Spin. Each extra adds to overall vend price, contributing to the bottom line.
“On our 20s and 40s, two-thirds of customers select some type of up charge,” he says. “On our 60s and 80s, 75% do.”
Every cycle and extra can be customized for a specific vend price, water levels and temperatures, number of baths and rinses, extract speeds and cycle times. This allows Sitz to tweak cycles according to market and customer needs. To operate machines, customers simply load value onto their FasCard loyalty cards with debit/credit or cash.
In turn, the payment system allows Sitz to monitor and manage the laundries remotely. He can view downed equipment, daily turns and revenue, alter washer programs, and run promotions.
The Laundromat City brand — offering premier service and convenience — is something worth replicating, says Sitz, who plans to invest in a third store.
Its mission? Empowering dignity through unparalleled service: transforming laundry into a personalized experience where every customer and employee feels valued and respected.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Dave Davis at [email protected].
