Soap and Suds Laundry Mat at 122 W. Bowen Ave. has opened its doors to the rig workers though. Owner Louis Baltrusch thinks he is the only self-service laundromat to allow oil field clothes in Bismarck. “Why shouldn't I work with them?” Baltrusch said.When I was last in Williston, the heart of the Bakken, two things regarding laundromats. First, there was a new laundromat going up on the north side of town, and the builders were living in their pickup "RV." By the time I left, the laundromat targeting roughnecks was completed; I think they got it completed in about two months.
Meanwhile, an existing laundromat was one of the busiest places I saw in Williston after dark. The parking lot was filled with pickup trucks and roughnecks, laughing, joking, sharing stories, meeting friends, while waiting for their laundry. It was quite remarkable.
My hunch is that the oil patch is still in great need of laundromats.
some of the washers and dryers in Bowman at laundrymat, had tags on the ( Greasers Only )
ReplyDeleteSome business people see an opportunity and seek to accommodate their new customers. Others can't seem to adjust. Easy to see who will be a success and who will stagnate. I wonder how much prejudice was involve in the decisions of some laundromat owners.
ReplyDeleteI can't remember the exact question/company, but they were asking the talking head whether Apple was "lucky." I thought the answer was very, very interesting. The talking head struggled to answer the question, but then he had it exactly right. He said that it was not that Apple was lucky/not lucky; rather, it was that Apple was "NOT lazy." They worked hard, but more importantly when they said an opening they were aggressive in taking advantage of it. They were not lazy in going after opportunities.
DeleteI think the same thing about such mundane operations as laundromats. The really successful laundromat operators will see an opportunity and go after it. It will require heavy duty washers/dryers designed for highly grimy and oil material, but it will pay for itself quickly. I would even hire a high school student to manage a little 7-11 type kiosk selling soft drinks, snacks, etc. on weekend evenings when the laundromats were particularly busy.
Sell Beer!
ReplyDeleteBuds & Suds....have a beer, play some darts, clean & fold your clothes...or have a folding service.
A collocated Sports Bar would be awesome.
DeleteBuds and Suds!! As Larry the cable guy would say, "Now that right there, that's funny"!!! Dave
DeleteLuck is when preparedness meets opportunity.Lots of opportunities exist in Williston right now.
ReplyDeleteAgree 100%. Rig count continues to go up despite infrastructure headwinds.
ReplyDelete