Back
The Cortez family has a strong entrepreneurial streak and that passion has led to their second vended laundry opening in McAllen, Tx., in September of 2014.
Rick and Ana Cortez’ first entry into the self-service laundry industry was with a modest, 1,400-sq.ft. store just outside of McAllen. The couple brought a used equipment package into leased space in a retail strip to learn the industry and prepare for their second venture into the market – the new Quick Spin Laundromat in McAllen.
“The building we found was an old convenience store that had been closed for years,” Ana said. “We liked the location and stayed after the owner to purchase the real estate from him.”
The building features covered parking across the front of the store – a detail found in many mid-20th century retail/commercial buildings across the state. The 2,500-sq.ft. structure also included a lot of work for the Cortez family.
“The building had been neglected for a long time,” Ana said. “Storefront windows had been covered with iron bars, which had plywood beneath that, and the glass had been painted, also. We removed all of that.”
New electrical, HVAC and plumbing systems were introduced along with new floors and ceiling treatment. An unsightly spray foam insulated ceiling was cleanly covered up using bright corrugated tin sheets. Rick and Ana went from start-of-project-to-finish in a feverish 14 weeks.
“We’re already at 2/3rds of our monthly revenue goal in just the first month,” Rick said. “We haven’t even done any advertising or marketing because our focus was on getting the store open and ready for customers.”
Simplicity is the theme for Quick Spin and the store’s motto says it all – “Cold A/C – Hot Water – Free WiFi”. The all-new interior is immaculately-kept and the lighting projects well into the neighborhood on any night. The unattended store is on timer-locks and is open from 7 am to 12 midnight daily.
“We had a lot of great support getting started,” Ana said. “Leroy Trevigne from Milnor and Corey Simonson from ADC were both very knowledgeable and taught us a lot about the equipment. We met them at Clean 2013 and both were in the store as we were starting up.”
“We’re off to a good start. I like being busy – I don’t like sitting around at home. This is an opportunity for me to open the store and work with customers but I can also leave during the day to do what I want to do. We’re looking forward to the next one!”
For more information, contact Pellerin Milnor Corporation, P.O. Box 400, Kenner, Louisiana, 70063-0400, 800/469-8780, Fax: 504/468-3094. More information is also available at www.milnorcoin.com.
Participating Dealer: Derek Ward of Pellerin Laundry Machinery Sales Company
Equipment mix:
- 12 qty Huebsch toploaders
- 12 qty Milnor 25-lb. washers
- 4 qty Milnor 35-lb. washers
- 2 qty Milnor 45-lb. washers
- 1 qty Milnor 60-lb. washer
- 12 qty ADC AD-333 30-lb. stack dryers
- 4 qty ADC AD-444 45-lb. stack dryers
12/22/2014
