CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A few months ago, a quick drive through the Hickory Grove Market strip mall gave Maria Romero an idea.
“I saw a sign that said, “for sale” on a laundromat and thought I always wanted to own a laundromat,” Romero said as she loaded clothes into a machine. “Me and my daughter had just talked about what we could do with a laundromat.”
Romero said after contacting the owner, she was able to look at the facility and decided to make an offer. Two weeks after seeing the sign, she was now the owner.
“It felt great, but I knew I wanted to do more than just own a laundromat, I wanted to give back to the community.”
And she does that, with TV screens that display messages about various services in the neighborhood and greater Charlotte area. Romero said some of her customers use her facility when their washing machine or dryer goes down and say they love the sense of community at her place.
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“We have our van wrapped and we are moving towards going into the community,” Romero said. "To pick up clothes for busy parents or elderly people who are not able to get out. “
In addition to running the laundromat, Romero said she reached out to friends who worked with people in the community who had fallen on tough times. She offered to allow those folks who didn’t have a stable place to live the chance to get their clothes washed and dried for free at her laundromat.
“I don’t like to use (the word) homeless, could be people who sleep on a parent’s couch or just don’t have a permanent place to live,” she said.
One person who was able to wash his clothes even comes by now just to help keep the place clean offering to sweep or wipe down machines to say thanks.
“It’s so important for people to understand even about clean clothes when you’re striving to get to the next level," Romero said.
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