Most laundromat stories on the Laundry Nerd Podcast come from owners who are already a few years in, working through the lessons that only show up after opening day. This one is different. Susan Wang hasn't poured a single quarter into her own machines yet, and that's exactly what makes her perspective worth hearing.
Susan's path to laundromat ownership didn't start with laundry at all. As a licensed real estate agent turned vending machine route owner, she was restocking snack machines across Orange County when a move to a self-serve car wash location got her thinking differently about the business model. If a self-serve space could run vending, she reasoned, what else could it run? That question led her straight to laundromats, and eventually to the name for her first store: Sunshine Laundry Lounge.
What a Would-be Owner Learns by Just Showing Up
Before Susan wrote a single check, she spent hours sitting inside other people's laundromats with a book, watching how customers moved through the space, when traffic picked up and what made owners frustrated versus proud of their stores. That habit led her to a Coin Laundry Association sticker in a storefront window, then to an industry dinner and eventually to owners like Tim Richardson, whose Deluxe Laundry Spa reshaped how she thinks about the business entirely.
"Start isn't opening the doors and saying, 'This is my laundromat.' The start starts with spending time in a laundromat. It's spending time listening to podcasts. It's going to industry dinners. It's attending different distribution events. Because it's such a service industry, and such a forward, customer-focused industry, there's a lot you can do before you start." — Susan Wang, Founder, Sunshine Laundry Lounge
Key Takeaways for Speed Queen® Laundromat Owners
- Do the research before you buy. Time spent watching real stores, talking to real owners, and understanding the industry beats rushing to sign a lease.
- Location and lease terms come first. Susan walked away from one lease that didn't work and waited months for the right one, closer to home and on better terms.
- Learn from owners who are already doing it well. Conversations with established owners shaped her thinking on equipment, customer experience and what a store can become.
- Design the business around how you want to serve customers. From self-serve to wash dry fold to pickup and delivery, Susan built her plan around the experience she wants Sunshine Laundry Lounge to deliver, not the other way around.
Hear the Full Story
This is just a glimpse of Susan Wang's journey from vending machines to planning her first laundromat. For the full conversation, including her timeline, financing approach and how she's preparing to run Sunshine Laundry Lounge as employee one, listen to her episode on the Laundry Nerd Podcast.
Listen Now: Tune in to Laundry Nerd Episode 60, "From Vending to Washers: Susan's Journey to Sunshine Laundry Lounge," here, or find the Laundry Nerd Podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
