With New Laundromat At United Shopping Plaza, Owner Aims For Reliability, Convenience And Affordability

ST. CROIX — What’s the difference between one laundromat and another? Query frequenters and you’ll get answers like price, location and reliability, the latter meaning washers and dryers are expected to be mostly operational.

Ask Sadi A. Jawwad, owner of the new laundromat located in the United Shopping Plaza, and you’ll get all of the above and a few more. Mr. Jawwad, who owns Amigo Gas Station in Frederiksted and the laundromat adjacent to it, wanted to revolutionize the laundry business on St. Croix by providing services that are foreign to the local laundries, but most importantly he wanted to create an atmosphere that facilitates an enjoyable experience.

The laundry, named Sadi’s Laundromat, boasts 40 commercial washers, including large, medium and small, and 35 dryers — making it one of the largest laundromats here. A quick walkthrough of the facility reveals a design with space in mind, giving launders enough access to walk freely without bouncing into each other on busy days. For those looking for convenience, Sadi’s Laundromat opens at 5:00 a.m. and closes at midnight, and includes a new, secure parking lot that holds over 150 vehicles. It’s also affordable and includes a drop-off an pickup service, which comes in handy for bachelors and bachelorettes too busy with their daily routine to squeeze in time for washing clothes.

Responding to a Consortium question on how he intends to keep people happy while doing laundry, Mr. Jawwad pointed to the multiple large TVs mounted on the walls of the laundromat, allowing launders to watch the news and other TV offerings. And he spoke of the WiFi access that is free to all who visit the facility.

In addition, Mr. Jawad said the location of the laundromat at the United Shopping Plaza means that people can place their clothes in washers, begin the process of washing and take a walk to any of the multiple stores in the shopping center. They can even pickup items at Plaza Extra East — all without leaving the area, and all while their clothes are being washed.

The laundromat includes a mini convenience store which comes ready with an array of detergents, of course, but also other items that are not usually found at laundromats. There are eats, as well.

As for pricing, Mr. Jawwad said Sadi’s Laundromat is competitive: small washers cost $2, medium washers $3.75 and the largest washers cost $4.75. “Those are very good prices which include filtered water, plus hot water up to 90 degrees — all for the same price,” Mr. Jawwad said.

For now, Mr. Jawwad has employed one person, and receives help from his son and other family members. With growth, however, comes more demand and the need to hire more employees, he said.

Mr. Jawad also spoke about the well-kept nature of the laundry, deeming it as one of the “cleanest in the Caribbean.”

The laundromat is one of many small businesses that are starting up on St. Croix, showing the resilience of entrepreneurs at a time when the local economy, though starting to pickup, has struggled to recover from the global recession in 2008, and the closure of HOVENSA in 2012 — all while dealing with a government that is facing some major financial troubles of its own.

For Mr. Jawad, though, once a business can provide exceptional service to its customers, patronage will continue. It’s a model that has worked for him at his laundromat in Frederiksted, and one he hopes to replicate — and improve upon — with Sadi’s Laundromat.

Feature Image: Inside Sadi’s Laundromat. (Credit: Reemy-Reemz Photography for V.I. Consortium)