by Wilma Blokhuis


Working with Douglas was Harco’s head offi ce team from Mississauga, ON. The new laundromat was designed by Marshall Dodge, Harco’s design specialist. Installation was completed by Calvin Kerr of Cal-Tech Services of Halifax.


HAVE A PLAN, WORK THE PLAN


One-Stop Laundromat and More


For Steve Morine it’s all about convenience – including the trip to the laundromat. At TJ’s Convenience, you can pick up a few last-minute groceries, fi ll the gas tank, enjoy a coffee and donut or eat a fried chicken lunch meal, all at a comfortable seating area with tables while waiting for the laundry to be washed and dried.


A DESTINATION, NOT A LAUNDROMAT TJ’s Convenience is a favourite destination for custom- ers in Kentville and around the Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia. Morine, a savvy, smart and self-described competitive entrepre-


neur, opened his multi-faceted business 27 years ago; November 14, 2017 was the anniversary date. Keen to come up with a ‘unique name’, he used the fi rst letters of his two sons’ names, Tyler and James, for the catchy moniker.


In October 2017, his business moved into a new state-of-the-art 5,000-sq.-ft. facility he had constructed “behind my old building” at 466 Aldershot Rd., Kentville. The convenience store and self- serve coin-operated laundromat are complemented by a Robin’s Donuts, Chester’s Fried Chicken and an Irving gas bar; he’s a fran- chise owner for these three operations.


NEW PLACE, NEW STUFF


The move called for new washers and dryers; Morine went to his old friend Ned Douglas, manager of Harco Atlantic based in Halifax, to purchase the new equipment.


Harco designed the new laundry in a 1,200-sq.-ft. space. The new equipment includes 16 33-lb.-capacity Maytag washers, six 30-lb.-capacity Maytag stainless steel stack dryers, two ADC (American Dryer Corporation) 40-lb.-capacity multi-load washers, six ADC 25-lb. washers and four Maytag single-pocket stacked dryers, each with a 7-cu.-ft. capacity. “They are user friendly, great machines,” says Morine.


Harco also supplied three Solomatic folding tables and waiting area seating in a custom colour – ocean wave blue.


14 FABRICARE CANADA January/February 2018


It was the third time Morine purchased equipment from Douglas. The first purchase was 27 years ago when he fi rst opened TJ’s, a convenience store with a coin-operated laundromat, movie rentals and gas bar – a laundromat was always part of his business plan.


In 1990, Morine had con- structed a 4,000-sq.-ft. build- ing with a full basement and upstairs apartment. “I learned (over the years) that basements and laundromats don’t mix,” and the apartment became a risky business “as I got older. I’ve had a lot of great tenants over the years but you can get one or two that just scar you for life.”


But, “I had probably one of the nicest convenience stores in the area,” he adds.


“We started with 20 Maytag washing machines and 10 sets of stacked dryers – 20 pocket dryers. Then, about three to four years later I bought two big 40-lb. washing machines and two same-size dryers. “I did fairly well because I was probably the only one within a 10-mile radius who had these big machines. I had people bring in laundry from farther away, and especially


now that I have a new store, it’s making a huge difference.” That plus Loonie Tuesdays; every Tuesday, Morine’s 33-lb. washers – the machines that are used most frequently – automatically ‘roll back’ to $1 a wash from the regular $1.75, from 6 a.m. to midnight, when the store closes. When promoting a business, “you pick your weakest day to generate traffi c and my weak- est day was Tuesday. I started doing this in the old store and it’s made a tremendous differ- ence.” Morine launched Loonie Tuesdays in 2016 to increase traffi c into his coin laundry on Tuesdays, which were quiet days in the store. Customers are delighted that Loonie Tues- days is still available in the new laundromat.


Thanks to heavy promotion in the Annapolis Valley, “Tues- days are now high-volume days and we’re seeing new custom- ers,” he says.


GO-TO GUY


“The laundromat was defi nite- ly not an afterthought,” recalls Morine. Since purchasing his first array of equipment from Douglas, the two men have become good friends.


“Ned’s my man,” says Morine. “He’s a fantastic guy. Ned and I have worked closely over the last several years. He’s a super nice guy and the service is fantastic.”


That first array of washers and dryers lasted 19 to 20 years explains Morine, adding the washers, old upright top-load- ers, “were the real Maytag, you couldn’t kill them.”


(Top) Centre snack bar in convenience store. (Below) Steve Morine with gas station mascot.


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