By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle
Oliver residents needing the services of a laundromat are still out of luck two years after a dryer fire put the Oliver Laundry Co. out of commission. Now two years on, the laundromat is not only not open, it hasn’t even been refurbished with new equipment.
For owner Louis Coulombe and his family – who also operate Lakeside Laundry in Osoyoos – the frustration of not being able to provide the sole laundromat service to the community is increasingly disappointing.
In particular, Coulombe is frustrated by the intransigence of the building’s owner and its insurance company. He says New Westminister-based Nooart Investments – owner of the building – and the company’s insurance provider are scuttling efforts to get the laundromat back up and running.
The building in which the laundromat was located was the site of the former IGA grocery story which was then bought by a pharmacist around 1995 who then divided up the space creating the pharmacy, laundromat, barbershop and physiotherapy office.
Coulombe took over the laundromat after being approached by the building owner at the time because the previous operator had effectively walked away from the business.
“It sat empty for nine months and the building owner approached us to see if we would take over the laundromat.” It was a “no brainer” he says, given it was fully outfitted and basically just needed someone to operate it and of course, pay the rent. And Coulombe was already operating the Lakeview Laundry in Osoyoos.
“So we appraised the situation because he wanted us to buy the machines and we ended up doing that, gave it a paint job, changed the look, and made it kind of to the standards we have here in Osoyoos” he said.
“And it worked out really well, it was running really well” he says. The previous owner then sold it to the current owner Nooart Investments and things continued on as before he says.
And then there was the fire. Because most of the damage was pretty much contained in one of the dryers itself, there was no structural damage, just the usual smoke and water damage.
However, the fire inspector did spot quite a number of things that were not up to the current building code, according to Coulombe.
He says this resulted in the building being stripped down with all the mechanical taken out, the heating etc. The rebuilding process then became an issue because turnover at the Town of Oliver saw two or three building inspectors come and go, he said.
But then the real problems started he says. “Then the owner decides to put it back to just a shell and says you to do tenant improvements. And our insurance says we leased it as a laundromat, they approached you as building owner as a laundromat, it’s a laundromat.”
And so, from the perspective of Coulombe and his insurance provider the building owner should return the space to what it was when it was leased, as a laundromat.
He acknowledges that any improvements that he made, such as countertops, are his responsibility, but not things like upgrading the electrical, putting in gas lines and ventilation.
He finds it particularly galling since it has been a laundromat for over 20 years and sold at least a couple of times in between, as a laundromat.
“We got a letter saying we have to do tenant improvements and submit a letter of proposal for the development. So I need to apply for permission to put it back the way it was when the owner bought the building,” he says with incredulity.
“So our insurance won’t touch it and the owners of the building are saying that’s your deal. So the laundromat sits empty,” he says adding that he can’t afford $60,000 to put it back together. His insurance does cover the equipment but not the building work.
He gets calls on a daily basis asking when it’s going to reopen. “People need a laundromat in Oliver.”
While some have suggested terminating the lease and taking the equipment to a new location, finding a space is proving difficult, even in Oliver with empty and boarded-up storefronts on Main St. Either no response from owners or simply over-priced quotes from real estate agents – both are defeating his ability to simply find another space.
Some believe that the owner’s stonewalling could simply be a ploy to either run out the lease which expires next year, or drive him out of business, all aimed at hiking the rent which is currently below market rates, he says.
He’s now hired a lawyer and is hoping that will result in a resolution sooner than later.
In the meantime, Oliver customers are forced to either go to Osoyoos or Pentiction, which he notes is more popular because people can also go to do their grocery shopping or hit the casino for instance.
He says there are at least 12-15 of his local customers who now regularly drive up to Penticton.
For those who don’t fancy an extra drive to get their laundry done, Coulombe says they have been offering a pickup and dropoff service.
“We park our car at the back of the laundromat and three times a week people can drop off their clothes and we wash them in Osoyoos and bring them back.”
This is offered Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays between 10-11 a.m.
One downside to this is that it causes a bit of an overload in Osoyoos, forcing them to do some shift work, either starting at 3 a.m. or in the evenings after the laundromat has closed.
He also notes that there are a number of “shut-ins” in Oliver and for a few of them the laundromat picks up and drops off to their home.
“That’s part of how we kept in touch with the community. We are also a community member and these are members of our community that are suffering and are not able to go elsewhere.
“Some of the companies, the larger clients, like wineries we have an arrangement with and they pay us for that pickup and delivery, but the shut-ins are a community service,” he adds.
