The Iron

This is Bubble's industrial iron:

It's great for sheets and other non-pleated items.

You need two people to operate it correctly. 

They stand on either side, and feed the sheets through - pulling tight on each side to eliminate edge wrinkles. Then in about 7 seconds the finished, pressed, and ironed product comes out the bottom ... 

Only time (and a few lucrative hotel contracts) will tell if it was worth the pretty penny it costs. 

Here's a demo:

Did you know there are machines in America that wash, dry, iron, and fold sheets and towels - all in ONE machine. Yes, they are several hundred-thousand dollars to buy ... but isn't that incredible?
Who knew the laundry business had so many facets.

Washing Up a Storm

Though not officially open for business (still waiting on that 'declaration' document) we had an employee training meeting today and invited each worker to bring a load of wash from home. Who doesn't love washing clothes at work?
It was good for us too, since we were able to run the machines, fix a leaky pipe, and show everyone how great the Dexter products are. The wash is done in 26 minutes and the clothes are dried in 30 - it's amazing - perhaps life changing.
So fast, so efficient, and so much better. Plus, Dexter machines really do look sharp. Aside from the quick turn-around time for washing, everyone was very impressed with the dryers - how fluffy and soft sheets and towels can feel, how clean and warm the finished product is compared to line drying.

See the woman in the red turtleneck and blue coat (far right) - that is the worker who tied two thousand bowline knots in the fishing line for the Bubble's chandelier.





Here is a video of the back of the gas dryer - sort of boring (nothing happens) but you can see why it was so important to have gas ... gas dryers just don't work the same without gas!

Devil's in the Details

While it's true, 'the devil's in the details,' detail work can be fun (and a bit more easy than government approvals and documents).  The glass reception area and decor are nearly complete ... Our blue and grey couches arrived ... The wall heaters are installed ... And the custom door to the industrial iron-room was put in place - now we just need to drywall the edges.

We had a brief issue with the piping connection from the washing-machines to the water-line. 

The threads on the American machines did not match any of the connections in Ukraine. We knew this ahead of time, of course, and sent Abilit (the construction people) all the specifics regarding thread-count, sizes, and every possible dimension imaginable. Plus, we sent the crew to Poland to take scrupulous notes on how everything was installed at a similar laundromat that uses Dexter products. 

Needless to say, Abilit forgot this detail, and said it would take THREE weeks and hundreds of dollars to special order parts from America. Oh, the grey-hairs this construction team has caused. We, of course, did what any resourceful, forward-thinking person would do ... found a reputable welder in Lviv to custom make the parts. Done in a day - cost $12 American dollars, and the problem is solved.

reflections

We upgraded our Dexter dryers to have a reflective plate 

so when you open the dryer it's like looking in a mirror - sort of.

We've repeated the reflective concept in other aesthetic aspects of the store ...

 We'll give you a little tour - here's the front door and sign with our address and store hours:

When you walk in the beautiful new glass entry, there is an etched glass Bubbles sign and a glass bubble Bubbles chandelier:
 
You then walk through (left) another beautiful glass door and into the actual store. Here is a photo of the almost complete glass counter - there will be another glass Bubbles sign on the grey-stone behind:

The smaller counter on the left will be our smelling bar - where clients can smell the various types of fabric softener and choose what they want their clothes to smell like.
To the right of the counter will be a scale for customers to weigh their clothes for drop off, or to choose the right size washer to clean their own clothes.
Things are definitely coming together.

How Firm A Foundation

For the last 10 days we have been re-leveling the concrete foundations for the washing machines. We realized the machines weren't level and properly spaced. This was a bit surprising, since we sent the construction team, Abilit, and our worker in charge of this project to Poland to take scrupulous notes and get an accurate visual of the exact way to install the washers. Unbeknownst at the time, the worker (and good friend for over a decade) who oversaw the foundation pouring added an extra couple of inches of cement to the foundation, after the original was dry. He says he just wanted to make it look smoother.

We agree that aesthetics are important ... but level, properly functioning machines trump a smooth visual. Fortunately, in a way, the finished product wasn't level and we took off the machines to sand down the cement. Well, as soon as we started sanding, chunks of cement started flying. It seems our worker, friend, self-proclaimed construction guru, didn't prime the dry cement before he laid the "smooth" layer ... causing the foundation to be not so solid, and the top couple of inches to chip off like peanut brittle. It's fortunate that this incident came to light before opening the store, because within a couple of weeks of routinely running the machines, the top weak layer of cement that was not properly bound to the foundation would have given way, and we would have had to close up shop to fix the problem.

After a week of sanding, drilling, re-pouring, sanding, and re-drilling, the machines are being installed correctly. If this store were the end all, we'd be pretty downtrodden at this point - every day there are new set-backs and disappointments. But this store is just the beginning! and our little Ukrainian empire of laundromats is going to take off ... hotel contracts are waiting to be signed, future locations are identified, the next machine order is in process ... and Bubbles will have a firm foundation! 

Update

Construction progress as of August 13, 2011.

After many weeks of putting in ALL new pipes in the basement of the building, the water company has given us the green-light.

Our beautiful pipes, water tanks water storage containers  heaters  and such, all in place and ready for business. 

Still to do: a few more pipes, and filters. Check.

The machines made the long journey, cleared customs, passed certifications, and are finally in place.  

We still need to build the center box between the washers to cover the pipe - but the ceiling "box" above is ready for the assembly of the most amazing glass-bubble chandelier ever known.

I'm mildly in lust with these machines ... they look sharp. Here's an assignment - find a local laundromat with Dexter machines and check them out. You'll see why we went through the effort of importing them. They're stunning. Not to mention they're eco-friendly, energy efficient, and have the best warranty/service history of any other industrial machinery on the market. They are wonderful.

All our electrical work is in place, and ready to go.

The custom double-glass-door entry way was finished today. 

All the folding room, office, industrial iron room, bathrooms (yes, two - since employees and customers can't share), and every other required room is dry-walled, puttied, sanded, and ready to paint.

We're close ... really close. But there are still a few more long days of construction, finishing touches, decor and arranging, clean-up, and governmental permissions before we open shop.
It's going to be GREAT!

Bubbles Interior - August 13, 2011

Only the Best

Dexter Washers

Shortly after we had this great idea to open a laundromat in Lviv, Ukraine (four years ago), we decided to join the Coin Laundry Association. Shortly after joining the Coin Laundry Association, we learned that Dexter equipment is the very best. So, of course, for our store (and laundromat chain) we needed Dexter washers and dryers.
In addition to figuring out how to purchase, transport, and get these babies from Iowa, over the ocean across many borders, and through customs ... the Ukrainian government had to certify them before they could be used. After all, these machines are the first of this kind to enter the country. Makes sense really, I mean if we were bringing in large industrial equipment from Ukraine to the States, I'm sure a myriad of government agencies would want to plug in the thing, run it, test it, whatever, before they gave the okay for commercial use.
Well, I am here to let you know, Dexter passed with flying colors. In fact, the Ukrainian government agency said our dryers were tested "beyond a level of precision than the government testing and certifying machines were able to handle." Woo hoo! We knew they were good. And - as if that isn't enough - the government official who tested them wanted to know where he could buy, and or use, one of these machines ... he was that impressed. He's on our contact list for when we franchise into Kyiv. Only the very best for Bubbles!