Tucked between an office and an extended stay hotel appears a sign that has been hanging over the sidewalk long enough to become nearly entirely overgrown by a neighboring tree. If you can make it out through the shrubbery, the sign reads Joey's laundromat, coffee ice cream sausage internet access. The background for the writing is a collage of the general store's products, which bring to life the creativity behind Joey's combination.
In its entirety the menu, and services available at Joey's include: coffee, espresso drinks, tea, four different kind of sausage sandwiches, a few kinds of pie, cake, bagels, pastries, ice cream,waffle cones, various sundaes, pay by the minute internet access and a laundromat complete with about 30 washers and dryers.
The mind behind this all-purpose laundromat, is a mid-thirties Vietnamese man who was happy talking with me as long as he didn't have to give me his name. I agreed, as I've learned that when reporting in my neighborhood, its best to avoid unnecessarily stepping on toes whenever possible.
The store was originally his fathers laundromat that he bought when coming to the United States in the mid 60s. The man I spoke with has been in charge for about the last 15 years as his father was not in good health for quite some time and passed away five years ago.
The son of the original owner has kept the store profitable through tough times by constantly redefining the family business. He explained that the evolution of the laundromat began when he decided to squeeze all the washers and driers into the back half of the establishment to make room for the latest popular craze of the mid-90s, a cyber cafe.
The laundromat now served everything you typically see at cafes: coffee, espresso drinks, sandwiches(though only sausage is a bit strange), and assorted pastries. However, it wasn't enough for this true visionary.
Hot days, though a rarity in this city, cut down on his coffee sales; thus, to fill this niche he began selling ice cream. In the following years he added a few other menu items like the varying sundaes, additional ice cream flavors, which now number nearly 20,and the cakes and pies that he told me are made from scratch by a relative of his.
The owner said he doesn't have any plans for the immediate future, and has had his hands full with the store as it is. Though adding smoothies, burritos, a full bar, or anything else may not be in the near future, Joey's should continue to prosper in an area where most businesses have been forced to close their doors.
As long as he continues to sell a large coffee and a sausage sandwich for under $5, and doesn't take down the enormous 6-foot wide plastic pterodactyl hanging from the ceiling, he will always have me as a customer.
Love the pterodactyl .... Ellis and Jones! It's so right on.
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