Laundromat business is the largest in the region: 35 stores covering a 90-mile radius; owner still works seven days a week, prepares third generation to take over one day
That the Colonial Laundromat chain has been successful for more than four decades comes as no surprise to owner Tim O’Connell, 57, who has worked in the business since 1983 when his dad, Jerry O’Connell, opened the first store on Townsend and James streets in Syracuse.
“Our stores have been successful because they’re clean. We keep our equipment running. We’re consistently open. We work very hard to serve our customers,” Tim said. In addition, most of the locations are open 24 hours a day and offer front parking.
Today, Tim is the owner of business, with Jerry, now 85, having retired in 2002.
Jerry was a distributor of laundry equipment in the 1980s and had transformed the one-time Aamco transmission shop on James Street into a showroom and working laundromat, Tim said.
In 1986, father and son formed a partnership and opened their second store at Geddes Street and Grand Avenue in Syracuse.
Now, 40-plus years later, Colonial is the largest chain of laundromats in Central New York with 35 stores covering a 90-mile radius. They have locations as far north as Watertown and Oswego, west to Geneva, east to Ilion and south to Watkins Glen. The newest one is in Weedsport.
And while cleanliness and functioning equipment are keys to its success, there are other factors that have allowed Colonial Laundromat to grow and these updating and replacing equipment and offering the latest in technology in the industry.
The stores have large-load washing machines and 50-pound capacity dryers. About half of them have credit and debit card accessibility and Apple pay — no more scrambling for quarters — and Tim noted that the remaining laundromats will be getting that technology soon.
And while customers wait for their laundry to be completed, they can entertain themselves with what Tim calls the “old-school” video games like Pac-Man and pinball. And about 70% of them also have an adjacent eatery or nail salon, Tim said. The company owns the real estate and these side businesses are tenants.
That success too comes from experience and commitment.
“I work seven days a week at it,” Tim said. “It’s constant. You can’t put this much energy into something and not have it work out.”
Colonial has also developed a signature look dating back to its beginning. When designing the laundromat in the 1980s, they were ordering a lot of colonial-styled pieces, like windows, doors and trim, Tim said. Their architect suggested that they name it Colonial. Hence, a name, brand and image were born.
Most of the storefronts have retained that distinctive appearance, with brick fronts and white gables. The signage has the word Colonial in an Old English font and many of them boast a cupola on the roofline.
Tim said that they will plan to grow the business where there’s an opportunity.
He has also made it a third-generation business. His sons, Ryan and Dan, work there full-time. Ryan for about 12 years and Dan about 18 months.
What has kept Tim involved for so many decades?
“I don’t know anything else. This is what I know. It’s been my life,” he said.
