PETALING JAYA, Aug 9 — Customers at laundromats often sit in front of washing machines or dryers listlessly while waiting for their laundry to be done.

Some are reluctant to leave and do something else for fear they may lose track of time, or worse, their laundry.

The Sip and Spin Laundry Café have however addressed these concerns by providing customers with a more pleasurable way to pass their time while waiting for their laundry to be ready.

Customer can sit back and enjoy a light meal or a cup of beverage, perhaps while utilising the free wifi to pay their bills or finish up some work on their laptop. Reading materials and board games are also made available for those who prefer offline entertainment.

The air-conditioned café located at the Evolve Concept Mall in Ara Damansara, here, is owned by Jasmine Soh Bee Bee, 27.

Cognisant of the fast-paced and busy lives of city dwellers, the young entrepreneur thought it best to come up with a service that allowed customers to optimise their precious time.

"Many of them prefer to be able to multitask because they are pressed for time. While waiting for their laundry to be done, they may want to pay their bills, have a meal or simply sit back and take a breather.

"Many self-service laundry places only provide a waiting area in front of the machines and not a dedicated and comfortable one for customers,” she said to Bernama.

Popular concept

Laundry cafes are rather common in Western countries as well as Asian countries like Taiwan and Japan.

"This is because a large number of the population there are so busy working that they have time for little else, including laundry.

"That is why we provide free wifi, novels, magazines and even board games at our café, so that they can utilise their time properly,” said Soh, who has a diploma in patisserie from the Malaysia Institute of Baking.

The café’s cozy atmosphere makes one feel at home. The beautiful wall art and light blue walls were also easy on the eyes.

"The soft colours are meant to help customers de-stress after a long day at work.

"We recycled discarded wood into many of the furniture seen here. We also turned used wooden cable reels into tables,” she explained.

The café is located at the front of the premises while the laundromat, at the back.

"Although the laundry machines are fairly quiet, we separated the two areas so as to maintain the quiet atmosphere at the café,” she said.

Soh said every load in washing machines not exceeding 14kg costs RM7.00 while dryers that accept the same volume of load costs RM5 per cycle.

"We also provide free detergent and softener for our customers,” she said.

The café is open from 9.00am to 11.30pm. However, the laundry area is open 24 hours.

Inspiration

Soh said it was her father who inspired her to venture into this creative form of business.

"After graduating, I helped my father run his automobile business so that I  could gain some experience.

"I have yet to start a career then so my mind was open to possibilities. I thought I might start my own business in something fairly new. My father guided me a lot in the beginning as I did not have any business foundation, seeing as I graduated in bakery and pastry," said Soh.

She said her father had been teaching her and her siblings since young to venture into new territories without being too concerned over the outcome.

What was important, he said, was to learn from their mistakes. "Many of us are so worried about the outcome that we become afraid to try anything new.

"My siblings and I were taught to not give up or fear failure, because it is the failure that helps us grow,” said the eldest of six siblings.

Future plans

Although the laundry café was only opened last November, Soh did not brush off the possibility of expanding her business soon.

"At the moment, my three business partners and I are discussing the expansion of our operations with a new branch, but we have yet to decide on the location,” she said.

She said the café has received plenty of positive responses since its opening because it offered a service rarely found in the country.

"Many of them loved the café’s interior design as they found it soothing.

"If we do expand, we would ensure that the new cafe employs the same concept.” — Bernama