WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - The American laundromat, long a fixture in urban communities, may be on its way out, but don’t tell that to William McKee II.
McKee is hopeful his latest venture builds a strong enough reputation to eventually franchise.
McKee and his two twin sons, Tyler and William III, are owners of Super Wash, a new laundromat in the Elizabeth Shopping Mall off Maryland Avenue near Canby Park in Wilmington.
Super Wash, “your friendly neighborhood laundromat,” is a nod to McKee’s love for comic books. Its logo involves Superman.
The aim is to “do things a little differently,” Mckee said. There are seven television screens with remotes, video game consoles available and a seating area that McKee says is a big upgrade over the standard stools found in most laundromats.
Super Wash also provides “fluff and fold” service. For 99 cents per pound, Super Wash will pick up your garments and return them to you cleaned and folded, no minimum required.
The unit has housed a laundromat since 1995, McKee said, but the previous owners ran the place into the ground and it was closed for a year before McKee put money into fixing the boiler and some of the appliances. McKee is confident in the business because of the number of apartment units in the area.
“The community needs it,” he said.
His stake in the business and the shopping center is elevated since he also runs another business two storefronts down, where he is the CEO of TJM Financial Group, a short-term loan provider with seven locations in Delaware.
McKee got into the lending business in 1999, he said, after years of running restaurants and nightclubs. He first opened ABC Lending on Route 202 and helped grow the company to 25 locations in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
He’s hoping to do something similar with Super Wash, which has 24-hour access with a key fob.
But doing so will be an uphill climb. According to U.S. Census data, the number of laundry facilities in the U.S. has declined by almost 20 percent since 2005, The Atlantic said in a July report on the decline of the American laundromat. Even sprawling urban cities like New York are seeing a decline in coin-operated laundry facilities, which are threatened by technology and the rise of higher-income residents in urban areas.
Still, McKee sees a path, and strategic placement will be the way forward.
At the very least, Super Wash is a place for Tyler and William (who goes by Gray), 21, to get their feet wet in the business world.
“It’s something we wanted to do together,” McKee said. “They watched pop growing up, opening all these various businesses.
“It’s nice because I’m not just handing them something. They’re both hard workers.”
They probably get it from their dad.
“Instead of a mid-life crisis buying a Ferrari, I work 70 hours a week with a smile.” McKee said.
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Information from: The News Journal of Wilmington, Del., http://www.delawareonline.com
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