Danielle Charlson and her family have been keeping Moorhead clean, one load at a time, since 2016 at East 10 Laundry. (Photos/Nancy Hanson.)
Moorhead Business Spotlight
Nancy Edmonds Hanson
When you walk into East 10 Laundry, the first thing that strikes you is the scent. It just smells clean.
“You’re smelling dryer sheets and laundry detergent,” Danielle Charlson says with a smile. “It’s unmistakable.”
The family-owned business on the east end of the EasTen Shopping Center is a busy, busy place … not only on traditional “laundry day,” but seven days a week. Moorhead’s only laundromat bustles with women and men, from college age to their senior years, arriving with baskets of dirty laundry and taking home fresh, folded armloads of clothing and linens.
Despite a trend toward more washers and dryers in rentals, East 10 has prospered since Danielle and husband Brian purchased the long-defunct Maytag Laundromat in the EasTen Shopping Center eight years ago. They began immediately to bring the out-dated business and its sidelined appliances up to modern standards with improvements that have continued ever since.
“We have doubled the number of washers and dryers,” Danielle points out. All 30 dryers, she says, are less than five years old, a big advantage in providing fast, efficient drying. Their 30 washing machines vary in capacity, from the four super-industrial-sized units that handle 60-pound loads to 30- and 40-pound machines. Those powerful units are side-loaders from Dexter Laundry, one of the leading commercial suppliers. But traditionalists can also choose more familiar coin-operated machines – standard white top-loaders.
With the Dexter machines, East 10 introduced a convenient innovation enabling customers to leave their sagging pockets full of quarters at home. Danielle calls it a game-changer – an app that enables cash-free payment by smartphone. “When you link the app to a credit or debit card or your bank, you can pay for washing and drying directly,” she explains. “Our machines do still allow you to use coins, of course … but why?” With per-load prices ranging from $2.75 for the smallest washers to $8 for the behemoths, that’s a real advantage.
The Charlsons had no experience in the laundry business when they decided to buy the aging laundromat on Highway 10. The seed was planted by Brian’s aunt and uncle in Salt Lake City. “They owned a laundry there. I think they hoped we’d buy it,” Danielle confides. “But we’re Moorhead people, and our children were all in school here. We had driven by the closed laundromat in the mall and wondered, ‘What would it take to reopen it?’”
They turned to the Small Business Development Center for guidance. “They helped us formulate a business plan and find funding,” she reports. “It took nine or 10 months to negotiate the lease. We took over in May 2016, right before Dixon Diebold bought the mall.” She adds, “He has revitalized EasTen. He doesn’t hold back when something needs to be done.”
East 10 Laundry is a family enterprise. Brian, who works on Cass County’s buildings and grounds crew, handles “maintenance and money,” his wife says. Along with their sons, he also closes the doors at 9 p.m. Their sons, now 25 and 24, and 20-year-old daughter have pitched in since the beginning. Even Grandpa Gary helps out on Senior Day every Tuesday, when older customers qualify for a $2.75 discount toward a wash or dry between noon and 6.
Danielle says she is the driver. “If someone needs a little help or doesn’t have time to come in person, I can pick up their wash and drop it off when it’s nice and clean.” She also does regular pick-ups and drop-offs for some residential facilities that don’t have their own laundries.
She describes East 10 as the opposite of the stereotype of tired old laundromats as “dark and scary places.” Its south-facing windows drench the space with sunshine. The floors are spotless; the air itself smells like cleanliness. “We work hard to keep it clean, bright and pleasant,” she says. “Three people are usually on the floor, and they keep an eye on things.” Surveillance cameras add an additional layer of security. There’s a safe play area for youngsters, and free WiFi is available.
Many of the laundry’s customers are regulars who either lack the appliances at home or come from multi-unit buildings with poorly maintained laundry facilities. “Some are families who come in every week with large loads. Others, we see only once in awhile for blankets and bedspreads,” Danielle reports.
When time is precious but the clothes hamper is full, East 10 Laundry can offer a quick solution to the task you can’t avoid. “Instead of spending an hour and a half doing your laundry at home, you can do it here in our Dexters in 30 minutes,” she observes.
“And we’re here to rescue you when your own washer doesn’t work.”
The laundromat at 3318 Highway 10 – east of Cash Wise – opens at 7 a.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, closing each evening at 9 p.m. Information on services, including pick-ups, is online at www.east10laundry.com.
