Whenever I go to a laundromat carting heavy comforters or blankets, I have an irresistible urge to know something about my fellow laborers. So I decided to strike up a conversation with some customers.
Allan comes up from Manhattan to wash his clothes while his wife goes to her favorite hairdresser. The machines in his building, he said, are too small and dingy and it only takes him 45 minutes to make the drive, and he reads the paper while waiting.
One Saturday morning at the laundromat, the three customers were all men -- not at all what I expected. It is "the division of labor," one man told me with a grin. Another was there because his apartment did not have a washer and one man who looked a little confused said it was his first experience in washing.
Later, an acquaintance whom I recognized said she was washing the heavy blankets preparing for her holiday guests. Friday nights are more crowded, one man assured me.
Just when I was thinking that all laundromats looked drearily the same, I walked into The Laundry Room in Byram. When Stravos Karipides graduated from theCulinary Institute, little did he imagine that some day he would be running a laundromat. Steve, as he is called, followed his dream of becoming a chef when the building on the corner of Water and Mill Streets became available about six years ago.
He opened up Johnny Cakes, a great spot for soup and popovers, and good meals. But when another space for a restaurant opened up around the corner, Steve moved Johnny Cakes to Mill Street and decided to open a laundromat in its place.
The sapphire blue and lime green walls in The Laundry Room made me feel happy the minute I walked in the front door.
Steve was patching spots that had been chipped -- he takes pride in keeping the place immaculate -- but immediately greeted me from his ladder. Steve expanded seven months ago and now has 35 state of the art washers and 30 dryers, as well as a tailor on the premises.
Open 24 hours a day, The Laundry Room can at times seem like a social hub. "It is a very safe corner," said Steve, "And if someone forgot something, like soap or a bag, we give it to them.
"We have tables outside in the summer so people can wait for their laundry to finish." Customers also can drop off their laundry if they wish and Steve's' assistant will do the washing and drying and charge by the pound, very convenient if you have accumulated tons of dirty sheets or clothes.
When I asked Steve why he chose the laundromat business, he said he always liked to take risks. Even though three companies advised him not to enter the business, he took the risk and to my eyes, it seems to be paying off.
Some of his customers told me they really enjoy going there because of the atmosphere, the sociability, the friendliness of the women who work there during the day and evening hours.
Steve, brought up in Byram and a graduate of Greenwich High School, noted that Byram is a "changing community."
He observed that there was more diversity, younger population, more professionals, a perfect area for new businesses. You might say that the Karipides family is an institution in Byram since his father owns the Famous Pizza next door to the Laundromat and Steve worked there as a boy.
He still wakes before dawn everyday to make his famous soup for Johnny Cakes and then goes next door to oversee the Laundry Room. With two little children, he likes the fact that his new chef cooks the dinners at Johnny Cakes and he can eat with his family.
I guess there always will be a need for Steve's businesses -- preparing food and washing clothes. With the addition of The Laundry Room, Greenwich residents now can find many places to do their wash and, who knows, perhaps meet new people.
Ann Caron is an author of books on adolescence and a parent-educator.
She can be reached via e-mail at anncaron@optonline.net.
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