Laundromat is open seven days a week in the heart of Ottertail

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

Shelly Soupir and her daughter Samantha have big hopes for the Ottertail Laundromat and the area surrounding the business on Highway 108. The mother-daughter pair bought the laundromat right before the Fourth of July and have been busy creating an oasis for everything from everyday items to large comforters to be cleaned.

“Our goal is to create this as a hub for the community,” said Soupir. “This really brings people to the community because if they don’t have this place they will go somewhere else.”

The duo have been listening to customers who have returned to the local laundromat after the Soupir’s have given the laundromat a bit of a makeover. Not only did they clean up the interior, but they have also begun installing larger washers to wash things like big loads of laundry and bedding. They are also hoping to install an additional payment system down the road, while still accepting the conventional quarters, after hearing from customers about a desire to be able to pay electronically.

Though they have never owned a laundromat before, the mother-daughter pair have always been entrepreneurs and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to purchase the local facility. In fact, they closed on the business just a few weeks after making an offer on the building.

“When things work out the way they are suppose to it can work really quickly,” said Soupir.

In addition to being in the heart of lakes country, the location of the laundromat really stuck out to the Soupir’s as the Ottertail Laundromat is located on Highway 108 in the old part of Ottertail. Not only does the visibility from the highway help bring customers off the road, but it also offers a close proximity to local bars, restaurants, shopping and even a hair dresser for people to walk to while cleaning their items.

“What’s so great about this location is it is so close to other businesses in town,” said Soupir. “You can do some laundry and go have some lunch.”

Soupir said they will continue to make improvements to the laundromat and welcome suggestions about what customers would like to see moving forward.

The laundromat is open year round, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week at 219 Main St, Ottertail. For more information, visit the laundromat online at www.ottertaillaundromat.com.