The laundromats of the West Village are disappearing! Or so the Times reports this morning. Harry Chong's closed almost a year ago after sixty years in business and the Stinky Sock didn't last much longer. Now the fate of the Cesmar Laundromat on West 11th is looking shaky. Cesar Garcia opened Cesmar nearly three years ago and the laundromat quickly became a neighborhood meeting place.
However, the new washing machines caused the walls to vibrate in the gallery across the hall. The gallery owner complained to the landlord and the Cesmar installed steel frames beneath the washing machines to dampen the vibrations. Robin Rice, the gallery owner, claims this just transferred the vibrations from the walls to the floor. The landlord has informed Garcia that if the problem with the vibrations aren't solved they will evict the Cesmar. Garcia may sell the business instead.
Reading this story reminds Gothamist how lucky we are to live in a building with a large and clean laundry room. We imagine laundries may be more likely to close where lots of new "luxury" apartment buildings, which contain laundry rooms and laundry hook-ups, are opening.
Have you noticed laundromats closing in your neighborhood?
White Cloud Laundromat in Park Slope photo from Bluejake.
