Posted at 7:00 am
The “Discovery of the Year”
Plants, play and reading corner, near the bakery and top location in Little Italy. “My discovery of the year” is what we can read in a maximum number of points awarded by Google. “Super friendly staff. “Nice place. ”
Are we talking about a hotel? From a restaurant?
Oh no. We’re talking more about a place where we do our dirty laundry.
Located on Rue Beaubien, My Laundry Room is very popular with those who come here regularly for busy things to do.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
My laundry room, rue Beaubien
During our visit, the owner was not in the charming glass office that separates the appliances from the entrance. Her friend Laurence worked there peacefully.
It’s a great service to the community. And it’s a beautiful moment for me when I’m here. There is a good one vibrations… There are even people who leave notes that they like to come here.
Laurence, friend of the owner of My Laundry
We won’t hide it: some laundries are places of depression without a soul. But when you have a neighborhood store like My Laundry just steps from your home, doing your laundry isn’t a chore.
There was even a short film shot there by My Laundry regular and professional photographer Rin Eadie. When she saw a couple dancing as if they didn’t exist, she had the idea for a film that testifies to “the beauty of everyday life”. For them, my laundry room is “a treasure from the neighborhood”. “I feel at home here,” she says.
Guy Létourneau has been frequenting the laundry room at 81 rue Beaubien Est for 25 years. “It has changed hands twice. It has become a beautiful place. »
Has the man ever thought about buying a washing machine? “I have three and a half and I have no space,” he says.
He likes the routine of leaving his house for a load. “I’m used to it. »
When Mr. Létourneau comes out of my laundry room, Marie-Hélène—a Rosemontoise who prefers not to give her last name because of her reticence—is folding towels. “I make the detour to come here because it has front load washing and is gentler on clothes that last longer and don’t pill. »
“Besides, it’s beautiful here with all the plants!” There is an atmosphere. »
During the pandemic, Marie-Hélène discovered My Laundry Room. “The one I went to near my home was closed while in confinement. Let’s just say it wasn’t funny. »
She only washes every three weeks. “I take several slices at the same time, so it’s quick. I have so many clothes,” she says.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
My Laundry Room Loyal customer Chalace Slipp
Meanwhile, another regular of My Laundry walks in with a loaf of bread from De Froment Bakery and Sève under her arm.
Here ? “It’s chill and amazing,” starts the young woman from Nova Scotia, who is doing a master’s degree at Concordia University, in English.
“I live around the corner,” says Chalace Slipp. It’s relaxed here with the plants and it’s also cheap. Also, they let me bring my dog. »
Chalace can even say that she enjoys sipping coffee and doing her homework to the sound of washing machines and dryers spinning.
This is exactly what Karine Fontaine, owner since 2019, who has lived in the neighborhood for a long time, wanted. “I never would have thought that I would have a laundry room,” emphasizes the trained real estate agent. When she acquired the building, it had been for sale for three years. “I live two blocks from here and was looking for an apartment with a garage and parking space. »
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Karine Fontaine, owner of My Laundry
Karine Fontaine quickly found a zest for life in the laundry room, which reflects her way of working in the real estate industry on a human level. “I saw that there was a great need and I wanted to keep a business accessible to people in the neighborhood. »
During the pandemic, kids came there to play while people came for a change of scenery. “My goal was to be welcoming and comfortable. »
It’s mission accomplished.
From mother to son
Then, at Marie-Hélène’s suggestion, we went to another place with a very charming name: Buanderie La pince à linge mère & fils.
There is also a very friendly atmosphere inside. Here is a piano for free. There are books, words written on the wall and a sink that makes us feel at home.
“It has been used as a laundry room for 50 years,” says Karine Doucet, the new owner of the house, about the reception in the neighborhood.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Karine Doucet, owner of Buanderie The Clothespin Mother & Son
The owners have long been members of the Légaré family. The name is still impregnated on the Marquise.
Karine Doucet learned from the parents of her son’s school that the laundry room on the corner of D’Iberville and Bélanger streets was for sale.
I like working with the public. My boys help me when they can and I want them to take over.
Karine Doucet, owner of Buanderie The Clothespin Mother & Son
Karine Doucet has sons aged 13 and 15. She hopes her eldest will be able to deliver clean clothes on board his scooter next summer, especially for the elderly who have trouble getting around or who are reluctant to be in a public place.
Karine Doucet offers personalized washing and folding services with a price per pound of clothes. “I respond to special requests and make good prices,” she says.
“I’m here every day,” she continues. I also travel when I have assignments from small businesses nearby, like hair and beauty salons…”
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
A customer works on his computer during a load.
La Buanderie The mother-son clothespin has many positive reviews on Google. We praise the air conditioning and wifi, the vintage atmosphere, as well as the cleanliness of the place and the friendliness of its owner.
“I’m passionate about it,” says the main prospect.
And it’s give and take. “I could write a book, so much so that I hear stories here. Stories that can make you cry. People open their hearts,” said the man who was very shy at the idea of being the star of our report.
“It’s not a jewelry store,” she jokes.
However, Karine Doucet is very proud to run a family business that she can one day pass on to her sons.
A must have cafe laundry
A little further south, also on Rue Beaubien Est, is La Brassée, formerly called Mousse Café.
This is perhaps Montreal’s first reinvented laundromat, or at least the most well-known.
Cédric Amram bought the bistro dishwasher four years ago. “This is where I had my first coffee in Montreal, arriving from France,” he says.
He was working at the old grocery store next door when the former owner approached him about passing the torch while smoking a cigarette in the alley. Cédric then jumped at the chance.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Washers and dryers are behind the door.
A wall separates the washing and drying area from the restaurant area. “I like neighborhood life and a useful neighborhood business,” says Cédric Amram.
Rising rents for commercial buildings have recently reduced the number of laundries. “Two laundries have closed around us in less than three years. It’s not a future business,” says the man, who had been waiting almost two months for a technician to come and fix some equipment.
Modest, the income from the laundry is only “pocket money”. However, Cédric Amram lived in “decline mode” in Quebec after the hectic professional rhythm he led in France. “I divided by five. I came to change my life,” he summarizes.
The pandemic has been difficult, but the laundry room has allowed it to stay open, offering coffee and takeaway food. “It saved me. In fact, it was the neighborhood that saved me because people were very supportive. »
While most of La Brassée’s customers are regulars (some come to pick up their Lufa Farms basket), a young woman walks in and asks Cédric how to wash.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Cédric Amram and a customer who comes to wash for the first time, Yasmeen Qureshi
Yasmeen Qureshi has a washing machine, but she came to wash a lot of sheets.
First step: She needs change.
Then soap.
“It was unexpected,” she says when asked to photograph them.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Cédric Amram shows a customer how to do her laundry.
See how she washes up in pink
As we arrive in Pinkita, just across from Fairmount Bagel Bakery, tourists emerge from the laundry room, cameras around their necks.
Even Montreal shoe brand L’Intervalle chose Chez Pinkita’s decor for an advertising campaign, Ibraheem Youssef, the person who signed the design of the places, tells us. There was also a collaboration with Citizen Vintage.
Chez Pinkita is undoubtedly the most “Instagramworthy” laundromat in Montreal.
“My dad wanted to build a pink museum,” says Priscilla, daughter of owner Rocky Mt. Lo (who was in Hong Kong when we visited), as she folds clothes.
We dare not tell Priscilla, but we would be very discouraged by the many garment bags lined up in the entrance.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
The owner’s daughter, Priscilla Lo, had her work cut out for her.
While many do their laundry “self-service” at Pinkita, others prefer the turnkey formula (and get their stockings perfectly folded into a ball).
Priscilla points out that the extreme cold of last weekend (February 1st) caused the pipes to freeze, hence the cumulative two-day delay. “We had to move machines,” she says.
Not only is space limited at Pinkita, there are all sorts of items to see and buy, not to mention the many goodies lining each space that can be used as a counter.
There’s even a mural by artist Kayla Buium (Milkbox), not to mention you can order a pink bubble tea. “My father wanted people to connect with the environment,” says Priscilla.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Ibraheem Youssef helped design Chez Pinkita.
Rocky Mt. Lo bought the laundry a few years ago. During the pandemic, Ibraheem Youssef, who wanted to do his laundry there, helped him dress the shop all in pink.
“I’m proud of the community place it’s become. Coming here is an experience,” says the branding specialist.
A regular customer of Chez Pinkita confirms how much it is an extraordinary place that puts you in a good mood. The proof: He has a washing machine in his house and he still comes to do his laundry there.