The next-level laundromat concept Green Laundry Lounge is set to open its doors to the public at the end of January, but owner Jay Desai opened the doors early to the Upstate Business Journal to offer a glimpse at what he admits is a “kind of weird concept.”
“This type of upscale laundromat is something we don’t have anywhere else in all the Carolinas,” he said, adding that he’s not even sure such a concept exists anywhere else in the country.
Set within The Palms at Brushy Creek, a strip mall at 3120 Brushy Creek Road just in front of the Brushy Creek Townes townhouse complex, the new laundromat/cafe concept aims to be many things at once.
Up front is a cafe, serving up coffee from Due South Coffee Roasters, local beer and canned wine, and unique Indian cafe food from David Porras, head chef of the James Beard-nominated restaurant Oak Hill Cafe. A lounge area offers iPads and comfortable couches and chairs made from recycled material.
Meanwhile, along a wall adorned with an Indian- and Greenville-themed mural from local artist Douglas Piper, eco-smart Electrolux washing machines hum (in total 22 washers and 22 dryers, payable by card or coin, at a rate of $3 to $14), while on the other side of the building, machines that utilize a modern “wet-cleaning” method of dry cleaning articles of clothing without using environmentally harmful chemicals.
Everything is geared toward sustainability and environmental care, Desai said. The detergents are all eco-friendly. Dryer sheets, which pack a powerful combination of harmful chemicals to both the environment and to personal health, have been replaced with hand-woven woolen balls that do a better job of removing wrinkles without the damage. To-go coffee cups are made from recycled materials, as is all the furniture in the lounge. The decorative wall in the center of the cafe is made of reclaimed wood from old barns.
“I’m a pretty eco-focused kind of guy,” he said. “We are blessed with nature here in this Greenville-Greer area, and I would just like to do something if I can to support that.”
He’s aware most people likely don’t equate sustainability with laundry, but says that challenge drove him to work harder to bring his vision to life, to convince people in the area what he’d imagined.
“Reinventing what a laundromat can be was kind of a challenge, kind of weird as well, but at the same time it’s fun and now when people walk in and see what this is, everyone is happy,” Desai said.
Like UberEats, but for Laundry
Starting about a month after Green Laundry Lounge opens, the concept will offer a subscription service for drop-off and pick-up laundry, even laundry delivery, with loads trackable via a smartphone app.
What to expect from the cafe?
- Speciality coffee from Due South Coffee Roasters
- Authentic chai tea
- Beer from Birds Fly South
- Canned wine
A food menu developed by David Porras of Oak Hill Cafe, including:
- Baked goods like cookies, scones, muffins, croissant and croissant samosas (a spin on a classic Indian samosa)
- Chicken tiki panini
- Moonj salad (an Indian raw salad)
- Basmati rice bowls
- Quinoa bowls
- Indian street food specials every weekend
