Starting January 1st, 2024, Ohlashia Cowley will take ownership of the laundry center, Churubusco Suds Laundromat, in Churubusco, IN. This will be Ohlashia's second laundromat location, with her first being in Fort Wayne, IN. Her plans for this location are nothing short of a total transformation, and she hopes the renovations will bring new and old customers back into the laundromat.
We had the pleasure of speaking with Ohlashia Cowley shortly after she took over her first location, George's Kwik Wash, in Fort Wayne, IN. (Read Full Story Here!) She received the keys to George's in October 2022 and completely renovated it aesthetically and by upgrading all the machines. We asked Ohlashia if she's noticed an increase in traffic since the renovations were completed, and she said, "Oh absolutely, we've had so many new faces. Georges has really taken off, and it's still growing. Georges looks like a total 360 since we first got it; I love being there."
Today, if you were to drive by the old Georges Kwik Wash, you would notice Ohlashia has rebranded, and the new name for the company is now Itoro & Don’s Kwik Wash. We asked her how she chose the new name, and she said, "I wanted to honor my sister; she passed away last year. She had a developmental disability, and she passed away on the way to my uncle's funeral from a heat stroke. She has been my inspiration with life in general, but I'm also a recreational therapist. I work with people with special needs, and I wouldn't be in that field without her. I wouldn't even be able to purchase a laundromat if it wasn't for that job. I also wanted to honor my stepdad; he passed away in 2021 from COVID. I grew up very poor. We were homeless and sleeping in cars and shelters, but he rescued us from that situation. His passing was very hard on our family. So I definitely wanted to honor my sister and stepdad."
When we first spoke with Ohlashia in April of 2023, she expressed her hopes for owning multiple laundromat locations, and those dreams are coming true. She has officially closed on a Churubusco laundromat and will be taking over on January 1st, 2024. Her plans for this location are significant, but we have seen her completely transform one place, and we have no doubt she will do it again. She said she plans to gut this location entirely and turn it into a more welcoming and functional facility for Churubusco residents. She explained to us that the current site, the way it is today, is steering customers away due to the condition of the facility. This is causing customers to drive all the way to Columbia City or Fort Wayne, IN to get their laundry done, but Ohlashia is ready to change that. She plans to add a fresh coat of paint to the walls, remodel the bathroom, redo the floors, remove all the old machines, and replace them with new ones. She plans to add two 80-pound washers, two 60-pound washers, eight 40-pound washers, and ten 30 and 50-pound dryers. She also plans to turn the laundromat into a 24-hour location to accommodate everyone in the area. She hopes that these changes will encourage Churubusco residents to feel more comfortable and welcome to do their laundry. She also wants residents with bulkier items that don't fit in their washers at home to know that Itoro & Dons Kwik Wash has the washer and dryer space to accommodate their needs.
Ohlashia is excited to turn this location around and expand her brand into the Churubusco community. She is passionate about creating welcoming environments for all her clients and pours her heart into her businesses. We are confident that there is no better person to take on this project than Ohlashia; she is sure to deliver nothing but the best for her customers in both customer service and quality laundry services.
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