When Sparkle Laundromat was launched almost a month ago with the official opening of the Amazonia Mall, where it is situated, the mother and daughter duo who own it did not imagine they would be facing the many challenges they are trying to overcome today. Nevertheless, they remain optimistic that it can only go up from here.
The business’s small clientele is not nearly enough to cover its monthly expenses. Sophia Ally, 24, a Business Management and Entrepreneurship university student, works behind the scenes of the establishment. The concept for the business, she shared, came from her mother, Alyia Yusuf, who grew up in England, where her family operated a laundromat.
Unlike that self-service laundromat that required coins for the machines to work, Sparkle Laundromat does the work for its clients. Ally said the company is specifically geared towards families where commonly both partners work, or homes being run by single parents. Since its opening, the business has not only catered for working people, but also tourists staying at the Princess Ramada Hotel.
Ally said she knew there would be challenges, but there are more than she expected. Simple things like creating an inviting space was a challenge, she shared, explaining that all she had to work with initially was a concrete space with glass doors and air conditioning.
Ally said that on signing the contract with the mall, she was immediately tasked with designing the space and not as it relates to hanging a picture on the wall or figuring out where the washers and dryers would go. Before she could settle down to marketing their service, Ally was busy researching additional construction work and interior decorating as the space needed a ceiling, light fixtures and floor tiles. The walls also had to be painted and money had to be found for all of that.
Financing the added construction, paying for workmanship and purchasing the machines saw the owners spending over $5 million, nothing close to what they had initially planned. While their savings provided this and kept them from having to go to the bank for a loan, draining their savings brought new financial challenges.
One of the advantages of having one’s own business is being the boss, but that also means doing all of the work. Apart from one employee who assists with the laundromat duties and billing, Ally and her mother handle the entire business. Having had the experience, her mother also takes care of the labouring part of the job. Ally noted that with her responsibilities, it could never be a 9-5 job. Whether the business will succeed or not, she posited, only time will tell. While she sees how beneficial such a service can be to Guyanese, Ally said the idea of it is still relatively new, although there are other laundromats in the country.
Some customers drop their laundry off on their way to work and pick it up on their way home, but most opt to have it taken care of on weekends. Owing to this, the business is open seven days a week.
At present, their income is too small to cover their monthly expenses including rent for the space. Ally believes this can change with solid marketing, to get people used to the idea of a laundromat service. So far she has done some advertising on social media and via other media entities. Another setback could be the location, but the business has a five-year contract with Amazonia Mall.
On a positive note, 90% of their small clientele are repeat customers. She enthused that men are using the service and pointed out that she catered for everyone when she was deciding on decorating their space; she wanted men who needed their laundry done to also feel comfortable there.
Sparkle Laundromat prides itself on good customer service, which includes empathy, clear communication, and patience. When a customer’s laundry is ready, the customer is notified without having to reach out to the company first. With her mother being the main handler in the service, customers are provided with the best of the best, Ally said, as her mother is efficient and detail-oriented. She pointed out that these are some of the advantages of a mother is set on being a perfectionist at what she does. “When she is washing and drying the clothes and folding them, I can tell you, it will be perfect. And, that’s not me trying to sell our business, that’s me being honest,” stated Ally matter-of-factly.
The cost to use the service is dependent on the weight of the laundry. Currently, Normal Wash and Dry starts at $1,200 for laundry weighing one to five pounds and Premium Wash and Dry costs $1,400 for laundry in the same weight category. The prices increase as the weight goes up. For items which are heavier and require a longer drying time, like comforters, the price ranges according to size.
Ally explained that the difference between normal and premium is the detergents used. For the normal service, the detergent is either Breeze or Foam, while the premium service sees the use of products like Tide or Gain. Both services include the use of fabric softeners and the laundry is always folded.
At the moment, plans are being put in place to begin offering dry cleaning and steam pressing for clothing like Indian saris and other items that are difficult to iron. Both services are slated to be available by the end of next month.
“Knowing the challenges of owning your own business, I would say it takes a lot of determination, a lot of stamina, strategizing well, having a good support system, and being consistent. I needed to [envision] myself in both shoes, in the shoes of an entrepreneur and the customer. I tried putting myself in the place of the potential customer and thinking about what services I would want to receive and then I tried providing that. For aspiring entrepreneurs, your projections are not going to be what you intended. You could be investing two times the amount than you estimated. If you are renting from an individual, ensure you read every part of your contract or have a lawyer go through it; we had a lawyer’s help… And… I would say prayers and hope for the best. Prayer can move mountains,” shared Ally.
The business, she said, has picked up over the past two weeks but even so, it still fluctuates. Establishing it during the pandemic, she said, may have negatively impacted her business. The entrepreneur said also that with the new gazetted COVID-19 order where customers are required to be vaccinated or provide a negative PCR test before entering public or private entities, there is a feeling of impending doom for her business and many others should this be implemented at the mall.
At this point, her main objective is to market the business as much as she can.
Sparkle Laundromat is open every day from 10 am to 9 pm. It can be followed on Facebook at Sparkle Laundromat or on Instagram @sparklelaundromat.gy. For more information, contact sparklelaundromat.gy@gmail.com or 655-6870.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to correct a number of inaccuracies, including the erroneous claim that Ms Alyia Yusuf was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder. Stabroek News regrets the errors.
