Kelli Johnson is a Black woman born and raised in Milwaukee. She is also the new owner of a laundromat in the Murray Hill neighborhood.
The laundromat, formerly known as the Murray Park Kwik Wash, had a 30-plus-year history of serving customers. Johnson hopes to continue that legacy while also making the laundromat a place where people can connect.
She has changed the name of the laundromat; it's now called The Washroom.
When Johnson bought the laundromat next to the Parkside Grocery Mart last November, she didn’t know anything about running the business.
But the idea of a laundromat being used for more than laundry crossed her mind almost five years ago while she was studying abroad in Europe.
"I was in Poland [and] Germany, and I needed to wash my clothes. And I noticed that they had laundromats that were also a dual space. So, it's a laundromat in a café or a laundromat in a bar," Johnson says. "And I found that just so interesting and so enticing. And it just stayed in the back of my head for a while. And I was like, I think if I ever were to start a business, it would just be a laundromat with another component to it."
Johnson says an investor who would have helped her buy a laundromat fell through, but that didn’t stop her.
"I decided to just go about it myself, and I called this laundromat owner, and he was interested in selling," Johnson says. "And not only that, he offered a lot of mentorship as well. And he sold it to me at a really affordable price for a new business owner. So that’s where I took the first step, and now here I am."
The newly opened Washroom seeks to "redefine the laundry experience" by being more than just a place to do your laundry.
Johnson sees it as a place where the community can connect. It’s a third space, or third place.
Third spaces are public places where people can gather outside of home and work—for example, a library, café or restaurant.
The nonprofit Project for Public Spaces says the term was coined by sociologist Ray Oldenburg.
Johnson acknowledges that a laundromat might not be what immediately comes to mind when people think of a third space.
"Which is why I was like, this place needs to be not only inviting but also just extremely comfortable. The laundromat that I ended up buying is a little bit small when it comes to square footage; however, I have managed to add tables and comfortable seating so that if you did wanna stay and hang out and listen to the music, you can do that," she says.
And there’s free Wi-Fi.
The inside of the laundromat is very retro in terms of its color scheme, music and even the font used in The Washroom logo—it’s giving the 1960s and ’70s. The floor is checkered green and white. Burgundy, orange and gold lines run the length of the wall above the dryers.
There’s seating near the front door with a folding station just a few steps away. And there’s a small library near the rear.
There’s also a tall chalk wall with messages like: "All Are Welcome" and "Live, Laugh, Love Your Laundry."
The vending machine has dryer sheets and some of your typical laundromat snacks. But it also has locally made products and more.
"And that’s ultimately the goal—to work with a lot of people of Milwaukee, whether it’s with a zine or earrings or jewelry or whatever it is. Putting that in the vending machine is so important," Johnson says. "What you’ll also find in the vending machine are contraceptives, like condoms and Plan B, and just other resources that you may need at a really low price. I personally don't want to profit off of that stuff; I just want to make sure that it's a resource available for the neighborhood."
A few machines have signs indicating they are out of order, but new ones are on the way, Johnson assured me—energy-efficient machines with touch-to-pay options.
Johnson says she’s learning the side of laundry ownership that customers don’t see, like getting new machines.
"I think what I noticed too is that a lot of laundromats have big pockets; they’re either owned by a large conglomerate or a large landlord who has somewhere to dig for funds," Johnson explains. "I, on the other hand, just started this, just bought it, and it’s just me—a single owner. So, a lot of the funds are coming out of my own savings, and a lot of the funds are coming out of my 9-to-5 job."
Johnson says she appreciates people being patient while she continues laundromat renovations.
She adds that being a Black woman business owner in Milwaukee means a lot to her.
"Especially seeing that, say, I don’t know, 75 years ago, a woman who looks like me at my age probably would not have been able to do this for so many reasons. Her being Black but also her being a woman," Johnson says. "We just didn’t have the same opportunities before, so now that we do, I don’t see why I wouldn’t take advantage of it."
The Washroom laundromat is open daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Johnson says to be on the lookout for a café component coming soon.
