New Owner, Fresh Start At Village Laundromat
/By Janee Law
jlaw@longislandergroup.com
Craig DelloIacono, co-owner of Huntington Village Laundromat, took over the 2,300-square-foot location at 28 New St. in July.
Although it’s not a chore everyone looks forward to, cleaning laundry is a necessity to everyday life and, at Huntington Village Laundromat, owner Craig DelloIacono operates the business with experience to ensure that customers are comfortable and stress free.
With 34 washers and 36 dryers, the laundromat is coined-operated. DelloIacono said dryers, which dry clothes in 18-24 minutes, are 25 cents per eight minutes, and washing machines are $3 and up per cycle. There’s also an 80-pound washer typically used for comforter, which is priced at $9.50 per cycle.
“I wanted that one machine because a king comforter you can’t put in a 60 pounder. There’s not enough water to clean it,” DelloIacono said. “You have to put in what the machine recommends because you need half water, half cloths. If you put too much cloths in there, the water is not going to flush and clean them out.”
In addition, the 28 New St. laundromat offers commercial services, such as drop off and pick up, wash and fold, and delivery.
DelloIacono said that customers can drop of clothes and the laundromat will weigh, clean and fold them at 90 cents a pound.
With new, high-efficiency machines, DelloIacono said he likes to keep the laundromat spotless.
“I was in the restaurant business for 32 years and my kitchens were always clean and I told my employees that work here, ‘The place has to be like you want to eat off the floor so that customers want to do their laundry here,’ ” he added. “If the place is dirty and dusty, they’re not going to want to come here. That’s my biggest thing is keeping the place immaculate.”
Every day, employees mop, wipe down the machines with white vinegar and, once a month, clean the inside of machines with ammonia.
“It’s those little steps that you do to make the place look nice,” he said.
The laundromat took over the space where Jane’s Wash N Shop formerly operated for 56 years.
After a fire caused the shop to close in March 2015. DelloIacono and his business partner and cousin Christopher DelloIacono took it over in July.
“I’ve been wanting to do this since the early 80s,” Craig DelloIacono said. “I wanted to do it as a side thing, but I got involved in the dry-cleaning restoration business and we’ve been looking for a place for the last five years and this came along.”
In addition to owning the laundromat, DelloIacono is also the president of Cleaning Solutions Industries, a Freeport-based business that specializes in removing and cleaning clothes affected by house fires.
Huntington Village Laundromat spans around 2,300 square feet, and will be offering different specials for the months to come.
For November, DelloIacono said, on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, the laundromat is offering a special for customers who purchase the wash and fold service for comforters. For every one purchased, the second will be available at half price.
In addition, DelloIacono is offering free light steaming and pressing for clothes that are washed and dried at the laundromat.
