By Timothy Oommen, Owner — Laundini Laundromat | laundinilaundromat.com
I’ve mentioned South Shore in passing across several posts on this blog. Careful mentions. Honest but brief. “A work in progress.” “Challenges I’m still working through.” “Don’t get me started.”
This post is me getting started.
How It Happened
While I was building out Laundini on Emerson Street and running the pickup and delivery operation, I bought a second laundromat. Spin Dry Laundromat, 2410 E 75th Street, South Shore.
The honest version of why: I saw an opportunity, I moved on it, and I didn’t fully assess what I was walking into. I’ve written elsewhere about the cost of taking on too much simultaneously — the restaurant, the laundromat buildout, the delivery service, the construction work. South Shore was one decision made in a period when my bandwidth for making careful decisions was already exhausted.
That’s not an excuse. It’s the context.
What South Shore Actually Is
South Shore is a neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side with a history that most people on the North Side don’t know and should. It’s a primarily Black neighborhood that has seen decades of disinvestment — in housing, in commercial infrastructure, in the basic services that other parts of the city take for granted.
Laundry infrastructure is one of those services. Quality laundromats that are clean, well-maintained, and priced fairly are not evenly distributed across Chicago. South Shore deserves better than what it has historically had access to. That’s part of why I bought the location.
The other part: I saw a business opportunity. I’ll be honest about both.
What’s Been Hard
South Shore has presented operational challenges that Evanston didn’t prepare me for. Different neighborhood dynamics, different customer base, different infrastructure in the building, different relationship between the community and a new business owner who isn’t from there.
The machines needed more work than the acquisition suggested. The buildout requirements were different. Building trust in a community where trust has been repeatedly violated by outside businesses requires showing up consistently over time — not a launch and a sign, but sustained presence and reliability.
I haven’t always been able to give South Shore the sustained presence it needs because the rest of the operation has demanded attention simultaneously. That’s the honest problem.
What’s Coming
Year two of Laundini is the year South Shore gets what it deserves — the same operational standard as Evanston, the same machine maintenance, the same cleanliness, the same pickup and delivery coverage.
Farhan joining the team as operations manager is part of how this happens. Having someone whose job is to systematize the operation across all locations means South Shore doesn’t get deprioritized when things get busy elsewhere.
The delivery coverage of the South Side — South Shore, Hyde Park, Woodlawn, surrounding neighborhoods — is expanding. The walk-in experience at 75th Street is improving. The commitment is real.
Why I’m Writing This
Because this blog has been honest about everything else and South Shore doesn’t get a pass just because the honest version is complicated.
A business that serves Evanston and Wheeling and Bucktown and Skokie but doesn’t genuinely serve South Shore is a business with a gap in it that I’m not comfortable leaving unfilled. The South Side of Chicago is not an afterthought. It’s a priority that I haven’t fully delivered on yet.
I’m writing this publicly because public commitments are the ones I keep. South Shore is one of them.
Watch this space.
Spin Dry Laundromat — 2410 E 75th St, South Shore, Chicago. Walk-in service available. Pickup and delivery across the South Side at laundinilaundromat.com. $1.50/lb, free delivery, 24-hour turnaround.
Timothy Oommen is the founder and owner of Laundini Laundromat, with locations in Evanston, Bucktown, Skokie, Wheeling, and South Shore, Chicago.