A Model Laundromat

 When we tell people in the U.S. we're opening laundromats in Ukraine, I think the visual image most American's have is of a utilitarian rundown dive of a place with poor lighting and only a handful of working machines.




What we've created in Lviv is a bit more sleek: A place where customers relax, sip complimentary fruit tea, and leave more confident with cleaner clothes.

Bubbles is a place where families have access to a cleaner life,

and business can carry on as usual.

Friends and Family

Bubbles first "Friends and Family Wash Night" was a success!
It was a great training experience as workers learned how to take 'wash and fold' orders, greet customers, stain removal tips, how to take and process an order start to finish, the importance of keeping orders separate and organized as they transfer from washer to dryer, how to operate the equipment, and customer service training.
Some of these things may seem intuitive, but that is because customer service and how a dryer works may be more common in the culture where you reside.
We also realized some details we've over-looked ... like a coat rack, garbage can in the restroom, and a table for customers to set their complimentary fruit-tea on while they wait for their clothes.
Finally, it was truly rewarding to see people stand in awe as they wash blankets for the first time ever, and feel clothes come out of a dryer, warm and clean.
Here's an updated picture of our work-in-progress Bubbles Chandelier ... a few hundred more bubbles to go, and it's going to be a dazzler!

A Broken Scanner

Before you can open a business in Ukraine, you must submit all the documentation (a moving puzzle game with many parts) to the local government ... then and only then, they submit a form of completion to the national government in Kyiv. Once Kyiv signs off on the paper, the paper is electronically submitted to a national data-base where your business receives a work number to operate. The local government (our case, Lviv) must then print that work number, and then we pick it up, and march it over to the city-council office for it to be filed and on record. No more signatures, but the city-council has to have a record of it before you can do business. 

Stock Photo

This process was painfully close to being complete last Friday ... we had everything submitted through the government in Lviv, and they forwarded their form of completion to Kyiv. We should have received the work number on Monday, allowing us to open our business for customers, but it didn't come.

So, we called to find out what the problem is ... A BROKEN SCANNER. That's right - our final documentation is sitting on a desk in Kyiv waiting to be scanned before it can be electronically submitted and printed off in Lviv, so we can file it with the city-counsel. 

Didn't Adobe solve this problem years ago with electronic signatures and pdf, you may ask? We ask that too - but since said technology hasn't made it this far east ... we are all waiting on a 'technician' to fix the scanner, so we can print, pick-up, drop-off, and file our official work number and finally get this laundromat show on the road!

Metal Trim

How did we get these great looking metal baseboards?

Here's how.
First, go to an industrial metal warehouse like this one.
Try not to think of all those scary Hollywood movies of Ukrainian mafia and torture, because if it does exist ...
this is probably the place it's all happening at.

Once the metal is purchased, and you have safely exited the premises with all extremities attached, find another abandoned looking building where they actually cut the metal. Mind your step, because there is a bit of a moat around this structure ... so good luck traversing (with all that metal) the wood and metal scraps to get to the door. If the first place didn't scare you just a bit - this one is sure to give you the creeps ... and if anything were to happen here ... we're pretty sure there would be no evidence, or remains, to find.

Great - now we're good to go. Have the metal, got it cut, head back to the store to have the baseboards installed ... just another work errand to check off the list for the day. 

Maybe there are some benefits to a desk job.

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!

Good News

Who's the most powerful man in town?
Mayor - No, he's elected and can be ousted.
Mafia - a Hollywood farce. Please.
Okay, that was sort of a trick question, since it isn't a single person in Lviv ... more like a single entity. And the answer is (drum roll please) - Lviv Gas. Nothing here gets done without the blessing of the gas department (especially if you have industrial dryers that run on gas).
Today Lviv gas came, dug a trench from the main gas-line in the road to our building, laid the gas pip-line, and covered their marks. This is good news for Bubbles, great news for us. Now we just need them to flip the switch and send that clean-burning energy our way.

Covered & Completed Gas Line for Bubbles

To grasp the full-nature of this situation, we have to give a little back story. Before we quit the day job in San Francisco to start this venture, we hired two Ukrainians who are long-time, trustworthy friends to get the business process started. A main task entrusted to their care was to find a location for Bubbles - said location was to have specific capability for the water, gas, and electric needs (all clearly outlined in writing). The location we're in, they said, met all the needs we sent ...

and to be sure, they even sent pictures of the gas pipe-line connected to our building (painted yellow).
So we gave the green-light, and they began the time consuming paper-work process to lease the building.
You can imagine our horror when, in July, we learned that the building does not have gas at all. How can this be?! You even sent pictures of the gas-line to the building before we gave the final okay? "Oh, sorry ... those pictures must have been to a different building," was the only response and explanation we received. While an honest mistake, this 'mix-up' has cost us dearly. Lesson learned - you are only as successful as those who represent you ... and if you want something done correctly, you have to do it yourself.
We then began the arduous process of securing gas for our store. Many, many hours (late nights, early mornings, and full-days of work) were spent meeting people, getting signatures, project approval, and such ... yes, even at times meetings in back seats of cars, because 'offices' are not where such business is conducted.
White gloves were used as many players seemed to emerge with vested interest in how, when, if, and at what cost we were to receive our necessary gas-line - our construction company, and landlord, for example. In truth, the whole scenario has not yet fully been played out. The good news, however, is that we hold the ace - the gas-line - and it is sure to be a meeting of gentlemen that even Georgette Heyer would be proud of.
In addition to the gas-line, yesterday we also received final documentation from the water and sewer department, allowing Abilit (the construction company) to connect our sewer line to the already existing line - rather than building a whole new line, costing more money, and time (which Abilit previously insisted was the only way).
All and all, we'd say it was one of our most productive days since we've been in Ukraine - and that is the good news!

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.

Getting Closer

And things are looking good in here!

The skeleton for the cover and folding areas around the washing machines is being built. It's really a neat contraption that Benj designed. Once it's complete I'll post pictures of the finished product - complete with removable top and front to get to the pipes for maintenance. 

On a more decorative note, the "bubble" mirrors above the dryers were hung today.

There is a pop singer in Kyiv who's agent heard about our store and the bubble chandelier we're making, and they called to see if they could video her singing in the store in front of the chandelier. Sure! We don't know how this information spreads, but we'll take it.

Every year our business has to be re-tested to make sure we're up to fire code ... different than the fire permissions and certifications. So, yesterday the guy shows up to check all the plugs, outlets, and wiring. Good news, we pass inspection. Bad news is, he's only one of three people who have to sign off on the inspection. He informs us that one signature will require a large bribe, and the other guy is out of town for the next 10 working days. Ugh. But then he catches a vision of how ridiculous all these hoops are that people have to maneuver in, around, and through to open a business in Ukraine ... and he VOLUNTEERS to sign for all three names! Bam! Job done, just like that - he stamps it - and we walk it over to the government agency so they can file it away until next year. No waiting 10 days, no bribes ... it's taken care of.

On a final note for the day, I'd like you to meet our friend 'the Babuska'! And we really are friends. She stops by almost everyday, let's us know she's keeping a close eye on our building and bushes, making sure no one takes anything they aren't supposed to, and asks us for bread money - which we give her. 

 All is well that ends well ... and we really are getting closer!

Construction Quirks

Turns out, there are just different standards for construction in Ukraine than we're used to in America. First, we'll show you some of the poor building choices that we live with in our flat - a flat that was renovated this spring with the intent of being leased to an ex-pat family.

We have a great gas stove - better than our our SF rental - except for the fact that plastic molding was used on the wall behind and the heat has since melted and warped the molding.  Then there are the electrical outlets that occasionally 'pop' off the wall - and the builder actually used cardboard pieces to help stabilize the plugs and keep them in place. Whatever. 

Next, the bathroom. The tub water faucet is about two inches misplaced. How the water runs now actually hits the inner ledge of the tub ... if someone had thought through what they were doing, they would have moved the faucet over a couple of inches so it runs directly into the tub. But, the problem is, construction things are often not thought through. We've found the mentality is, "drill now, patch later." And we'd prefer it to just be right the first time. Finally, the sink leaks constantly - and it's only been used for 3 1/2 months.

Similar issues already plague us at Bubbles - why can you see this bathroom light cord? There is no reason that the hole should be visible. Why is this heater plug exposed two inches into the office? Why didn't they cut it so it ended behind the drywall? Why is the plumbing and piping ABOVE ground on the toilet? Why didn't they take an extra hour and dig down six more inches so the toilet could sit directly on the piping instead of exposing everything? Finally, why did they drill these extra ventilation holes in all the work rooms before they realized that there was a steal beam at one end that would prevent the pipe from going all the way through?

True, none of these issues on their own are earth shattering, and they aren't the reason we're 6 weeks+ behind schedule ... but when you are paying a decent amount for construction time and materials, you'd expect a decent completed job. We guess it's all a part of the crash course in Ukrainian business we're taking - and we're learning to work with it, through it, around it, and beyond it!

LIGHTS, camera, action!

We have power and the lights are on! While we've had governmental power permission for weeks, it wasn't until Monday that the electricians were willing to connect our power. Then, of course, when the wires were to be connected on Monday, issues came up, and it wasn't until Thursday that everything was up and running ... but it is up and running! One of the hold-ups was that the little beady things on either side of this meter can only be removed by a city electrician - and if it's tampered with, there are fines, and fees. However, it takes weeks to get a city electrician during working hours, so we hired one to come by after working hours and get the job done - "When in Rome," right?

Another problem was the way Abilit (our main construction firm) wrote up our electrical project - suggesting we need 3 x's the amount of power that we really do need (an absurd amount!) so as to stall government approval, and have us pay them more, so they could use their "contacts" to get the project through ... see the corruption here? Anyway, problem averted, we have our own "contacts" and Bubbles will triumph. This is the folding room for hotel contract orders - lights, lights, beautiful lights in every room!


As far as other construction progress goes - the door frames are in, doors painted, and waiting to be hung.

 

The metal baseboards are mostly up and we'll remove the protective cover soon. The lip connecting the windowsill and drywall is installed. And the outside facade is coming along - more of a sky-blue than dark. So far the Ukrainian response to the blue has been overwhelmingly positive.