A wrinkle in time

For nearly half a century, Quick & Clean Laundry Centre has been part of the fabric of Leslieville life. David Silverberg grabs some quarters

I’m still learning from my father today. He can still get a great deal on anything, like small parts that we’ll need for a washing machine.

ALEX GRIGOROFF

How does a family business stay resilient after almost five decades?

Establish a reputation your clients will be happy to share with others in their field or in their neighbourhood. And try to own all of your assets, from the building to the delivery service, so you can have a 360-degree view of how you’re serving your customers.

So says Alex Grigoroff, the owner of Quick & Clean Laundry Centre on Queen Street East, near Pape Avenue. The reputation he and his father earned for the laundromat chain (now down to one location) not only attracted Leslieville residents, but also commercial clients that make up most of their business.

Walking through Quick & Clean is like peeking into two different worlds: the front area brims with 10 front-loading and eight toploading washing machines and 17 dryers; in the back room, the 49-year-old business cleans linens and towels for dozens of commercial clients using massive, high-powered equipment, including a $120,000 ironing machine.

Those customers include hotels such as Sonder and Westlake, and social clubs such as the Toronto Tennis Lawn Club and the Granite Club. Word of mouth has buoyed their commercial business over the years.

“Now I’m so busy with getting contracts for these clients, I don’t have time to be in the laundromat seven days a week, talking to everyone, like I used to,” says Grigoroff, 41. That was a practice he picked up from his father, Gordon, who established the Quick & Clean chain in 1972 and aimed to meet everyone who stopped by the laundromat, no matter what time of day.

Grigoroff recalls his father staying late into the night to chat with customers at the Queen location. “Even if it was past closing time, he would wait until they were finishing their load, and not rush anyone at all,” he says.

That kind of personal touch ensured the Grigoroff family, who emigrated from Bulgaria in 1961, would be running a popular laundromat chain in the ’80s and ’90s, when 10 Quick & Clean locations dotted the downtown core. But in 2004, Gordon, looking to retire, sold every location except one.

“I told him to put down the For Sale sign on the Queen Street East location because I realized I could take this over,” says Grigoroff, who worked alongside his father for years, building the business.

“And I’m still learning from my father today,” he says with a laugh. “He can still get a great deal on anything, like small parts that we’ll need for a washing machine.”

He also learned from this father the value of controlling every branch of the business: “He taught me about the value of owning the building, the machines, everything, so you don’t have to answer to anybody but yourself. And that’s the way I like to be.”