Extract coins from the list of laundries

Albany

Will Yager wants to change the way you do laundry. The first step? Get rid of the change.

This, hopefully, will be enough to attract customers to Lucky Cat Laundromat, a new high-tech facility open in central Albany on Thursday.

The coin-operated launderette, located at 133 Madison Ave., offers customers the option of paying for debit or credit card cycles or via their smartphones, rather than quarters pockets.

This, he said, is just a good deal: "Do not limit the way people can pay you," he said. A regular wash starts at $ 2.50, but prices vary with the size of a washing machine. (The payment of the currency is still allowed, he said, in the event of a blackout and other problems).

The new high-tech machines are also accessible by a smartphone application called FasCard, which allows customers to book, monitor and start and stop loads of laundry at home or from other locations.

The cameras inside the structure, which are always equipped with a person at all times, also allow Yager to solve the problems of laundry from outside the office: if a customer has problems with a machine after payment, Yager can start remotely several machines to use.

He said that, in the future, customers would also have access to cameras, allowing them to monitor their clothes from the comfort of their homes.

Yager, known to his friends as "Tragedy" and owner of Albany Modern Body Art and Patsy & # 39; s Barbershop, among other companies, has invested more than $ 200,000 in stainless steel washers and dryers that ultimately use less water and power.

The average car uses around 15 gallons per wash, he said. Its only 3 gallons use.

Lucky Cat – from the name of Yager's love for cats – will also provide delivery, drop-off and folding services within a 3 mile radius of the store.

Coin-operated laundromat is one of many businesses and services that sprout in downtown Albany, where development officials have redirected ways to attract more residents into the area.

"With the growth of the downtown district, we need companies that meet the needs of our new residents," Albany Mayor Kathy M. Sheehan said. "This full-service laundry fills a niche for a basic but essential need for those who make their home in the city."

"Lucky Cat Laundromat is another example of entrepreneurs embracing the city's future and adding high-end services to the new Albany neighborhood," said Georgette Steffens, executive director of the Downtown Albany Business Improvement District. "While arts, restaurants and shopping continue to be an attraction for the people of the center, it is also critical to meet their daily needs."

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