A South Carolina Couple Offering Free Laundry For Community
A South Carolina couple is offering free laundry for the local community. During the pandemic, North Carolina couple Jon and Erin Carpenter embarked on a four-month cross-country RV trip. Having to use laundromats while on the road led them to discover the vital role they play in a lot of communities. They also noticed that laundromats in higher-income areas offered great amenities while ones in less wealthy areas were neglected.
When their road trip was over, the Carpenters decided to relocate to Charleston, South Carolina, and soon Jon found a laundromat for sale in a run-down part of town. The Carpenters purchased the laundromat in July of 2022 and spent six months learning the ins and outs of the business. On January 1st, they hosted a free laundry day with help from a local charity and then closed down for a few months to renovate the laundromat.
In late March, the Carpenters relaunched Reynolds Laundromat. Jon had upgraded the equipment and Erin had completely reinvisioned the space, adding comfy chairs and picnic tables, and a kids area with books and toys. They held another free laundry day and served more than three dozen people. A TikTok video of the event and of the Carpenter’s transformation of the laundromat has gone viral, racking up over 12-million views.
