Cleaning clothes in Loveland: A large new…
Cleaning clothes in Loveland: A large new laundromat and a repurposed one
The Laundry Basket opens in Orchards Shopping Center, and Spun Laundromat has a CBD shop inside
George Clous loads his laundry into a washing machine Friday at The Laundry Basket at 281 E. 29th St. in the Orchards Shopping Center in Loveland.
By Craig Young | cyoung@reporter-herald.com | Loveland Reporter-Herald
The coin-op laundry business in Loveland has seen some changes recently, including the opening of a large new facility and the rebranding and repurposing of another.
Although the industry has shrunk nationwide in recent decades, in part because many new apartment buildings have hookups in each unit, it remains an inescapable reality that everyone needs clean clothes, and not everyone has a washer and dryer.
That reality led a veteran of the laundry business to invest in a brand-new self-serve laundromat in Loveland, The Laundry Basket, and the partners in another business to take over and rebrand an existing facility, Loveland Laundromat, now know as Spun Laundromat.
The Laundry Basket
Tom Burgett spent almost 40 years in the business of coin-operated laundries, moving to Colorado in 1975 from Texas, where some still call such businesses "washaterias."
When he and his partners sold Automatic Laundry Co. in 2008, they had built it from a small Denver business into one of the nation's largest providers of laundry facilities in multifamily settings such as apartment complexes and college dorms, Burgett said.
Two years ago, bored with retirement and "playing lousy golf," he stepped back into the industry with the purchase of The Laundry Basket in Fort Collins, a longtime laundromat at 925 S. Taft Hill Road.
After renovating and enlarging that facility last year, he looked south to Loveland, where he said he saw a need in the growing city. He and his son, Bear Burgett, spent the past year developing a space in Orchards Shopping Center, opening at 281 E. 29th St., A1, on Sept. 16.
Bear Burgett manages the laundromat, his father said, and the business eventually will be his.
Jennifer Hayes puts a load of laundry into the dryer Friday at The Laundry Basket.
The 4,400-square-foot Loveland location boasts 41 front-loading washers — 12 double-load, or 20-pound washers; 14 four-load machines; 10 six-load washers; and five big eight-load machines.
It also has 50 dryers, 26 of which are triple-load and 24 that are rated five-load machines.
The Laundry Basket also has vending machines for laundry products, snacks and drinks, Tom Burgett said, plus three big-screen TVs and a "very nice sound system for music."
"We try to mix it up, put a limit on my son's Grateful Dead collection," he joked. "I'm a '50s and '60s blues guy. … People seem to like our music."
The Laundry Basket is open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week and has an attendant on site at all times, Burgett said.
The machines accept quarters but also take debit and credit cards, he said, plus loyalty cards that give customers $11 worth of laundry for every $10 put on the cards.
Prices for the washers run from $2.25 for a cold wash in the smallest machines to $9.25 for a hot load in the largest — except for Tuesdays, when the double-load machines cost just $1.
The dryers charge in 25-cent increments, with a quarter buying six minutes on the triple-load machines and four minutes on the larger ones.
The Laundry Basket also offers a drop-off wash, dry and fold service — $1.50 per pound, with a 10-pound minimum.
"People like the convenience of having their laundry folded and bagged and ready for them," Burgett said. "We tell people they can do their laundry in 10 minutes: five minutes to drop it off, five minutes to pick it up."
The Fort Collins location also handles commercial laundry services for a number of businesses such as massage therapists, dental offices and beauty salons, he said.
Burgett said his goal is to have the "nicest, cleanest, prettiest laundromat around" with "spotless and well-appointed restrooms."
For more information, call 970-966-7342 or go to laundrybasketfc.com.
Sergio Barba, co-owner of the Spun Laundromat, the Loveland Wellness Bodega and The Down Low, hugs long-time customer Christina Fanjoy as he shares a laugh with her and her daughter, Savannah Fanjoy, on Thursday at the laundromat and CBD shop in downtown Loveland.
Spun Laundromat / Loveland Wellness Bodega / The Down Low
The other recent change in a laundry business in Loveland involves an unusual rebranding of a laundromat.
The building at 540 N. Jefferson Ave. has housed a laundry business since at least the early 1970s, according to old city directories, and most recently was the home to Loveland Laundromat.
In June, the owners of a CBD business and The Down Low head shop rented space inside Loveland Laundromat to create Loveland Wellness Bodega, a shop selling all manner of CBD products derived from hemp.
"It's pretty unique," co-owner Sergio Barba said of the pairing of the businesses.
They also started improving the laundry facilities and, in August, bought the self-service laundromat and renamed it Spun Laundromat, according to Barba.
"We've repaired as many machines as we can right now and are slowly starting to replace the ones that can't be fixed," said Nate Saksek, another partner in the venture.
The new owners also redid the flooring, repainted, upgraded the lighting and added some arcade games, Barba said.
Because the partners weren't in the market to buy a laundromat — "We didn't have any experience; we just saw an opportunity and went for it" — Barba said they are looking for a buyer for the laundry business or an investor to help them upgrade the old equipment.
Right now, Spun Laundromat has 14 functioning washers and 11 dryers, Saksek said. The washers, which range in size from double to four-load machines, cost $3 to $6 to run. Of the dryers, two are "huge," he said — "Big Bertha" and "Large Marge." A quarter will get you eight to 10 minutes on a dryer, depending on the size, he said.
The laundromat also offers drop-off laundry, charging $1.50 a pound plus soap, minimum five pounds, or $1.25 per load.
Now that the laundromat is staffed at all times, Saksek said, "people are not hanging out here, doing shady (stuff)."
The place is staffed because the Loveland Wellness Bodega is inside the laundromat.
The shop sells CBDs in all forms, Saksek said, and offers free samples to laundry customers.
"We get everything: edibles, smokables, drinkables, topicals," he said, plus lotions, salves, soaps and vape juices, as well as CBD products for pets.
"Cat treats, pet tinctures, powders, treats, from rabbits to cows: If you need CBD-infused hay, we can do that," he said.
The owners, including original partner Anthony Cortese, make it a point to carry CBD products made in Loveland or elsewhere in Colorado, Saksek said.
The shop also carries kratom, a product made from a tree found in Southeast Asia that is said to have opioid-like properties. Barba said kratom has a number of medicinal uses.
They also own a wholesale business on Eighth Street Southeast that carries bulk CBD in all forms, "from flower to shelf," Barba said.
The Down Low, described by Saksek as a "hybrid head shop," also has moved into the building, occupying a separate space next door at 550 N. Jefferson Ave. The business, which opened in 2001, was on East 37th Street for many years before moving out recently, Barba said.
It carries glass pipes, rolling papers, stash jars, detox products and clothing — most of which is targeted to an adult clientele, he said.
"That's why we separated The Down Low from the bodega," he said.
With the mix of businesses in one spot, plus the new White Owl Ink tattoo shop next door, "it definitely takes a lot of signage outside," Barba said.
"People are figuring out that we're here for more than just a laundromat and more than just CBD," he said.
The businesses are open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week. For more information about any of the three businesses, call 970-667-7948.
What: The Laundry Basket self-serve laundromat.
Where: 281 E. 29th St., A1, in Loveland's Orchards Shopping Center.
When: Open 8 a.m.-10 p.m. seven days a week.
More info: 970-966-7342, https://laundrybasketfc.com
What: Spun Laundromat, Loveland Wellness Bodega, The Down Low — a laundromat, CBD shop and head shop.
Where: 540-550 N. Jefferson Ave., Loveland.
When: Open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week.
More info: 970-667-7948.
Business reporter Craig Young has worked in a variety of editing and reporting positions at the Loveland Reporter-Herald since joining the staff in 1982.
Follow Craig Young	@CraigYoungRH