HOLLAND, Mich. — A new laundromat opened this weekend on Holland's southside, and neighbors say it is already filling a long-standing gap in the community.
Operation Laundry, owned by Air Force veteran Tim Johnson, is open seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., with the last wash accepted at 10 p.m. The facility is located at 1012 Washington Ave.
"We are attempting to be the Buc-ee's of the laundromat industry," Johnson said.
After working in tech, Johnson said he spent months researching how to best serve his community before landing on the idea.
"I saw a gap in the service for washing machines and dryers and laundromats in the community, and it just kind of started growing in my brain," said Johnson.
A visit to the largest laundromat conference in the United States last year helped solidify the concept. The facility now boasts 43 dryers and 40 washers, which Johnson said gives it the largest capacity in West Michigan.
The laundromat offers a range of amenities, including free ozone treatment, free high-speed Wi-Fi, a coinless card system, a kid zone, a wash-and-pull service, and dry cleaning. Johnson said customers can wash and dry, up to eight loads per cycle and be in and out in 40 minutes.
"The community, they have to drive long distances, sometimes to Grand Rapids, to be able to get this capability, and now it's in their backyard," Johnson said.
For neighbors like Illiana Molina, a mother of 3, the new facility is a welcome addition.
"Being a single mom, it's really hard to find the time to do laundry, aside from the kids nagging and pulling at me all the time," Molina said. "It's nice to have a space to relax and be able to keep an eye on the kids."
Navy veteran twins Jerry and Jeffrey McAuley said the speed and efficiency stood out to them.
"This is our new go-to place. This is our new go-to laundromat," Jeffrey McAuley said. "They're sophisticated, electronic, or whatever, but [it's] the best thing I've ever seen in my life — best thing, the clothes are clean."
Jerry McAuley said the faster dry times have already made a difference.
"Nobody wants to spend all day in a laundromat, and when it comes to doing those washes and the dry time, [it's] cheaper, and it splits everything in half," Jerry McAuley said. "I'm down to 20 minutes on my dryer, and I'm down to even less than that."
Johnson said more than 100 people contributed to making Operation Laundry a reality.
"What's important about that is they help because they want to be part of something bigger than themselves. And Operation Laundry is that," Johnson said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
