Community

Family Laundry started in 2018 as a neighborhood laundromat in Oakland. Here is what we have done with that space, and with our partners, since then.

Reading and classes at the laundromat (2018–2020)

• In 2018 we turned a small store in our building into a free reading room with the nonprofit Libraries Without Borders. Kids read while their parents did laundry.
• Librarians from the Oakland Public Library held story time at the laundromat every Thursday morning.
• Customers asked for English classes, so we hosted free ESL classes in our community room, taught by professional instructors. In a survey of graduates, 83% said they would take a class here again.
• In November 2019 we dedicated the community room to Alma Soraya and Angel Garcia Vasquez.

During the pandemic (2020–2021)

We closed the community room on March 16, 2020, and put the grant money to new use: 265 free laundry orders for seniors 60 and over, internet hotspots for 44 students at ICS and Garfield Elementary, and supermarket gift cards for 40 families who needed food.

On April 16, 2021, we turned our parking lot into a vaccination clinic with the Alameda County Public Health Department.

What neighbors said

“They offer very good services, especially because they are focused on children and families in general.”
Graduate of an ESL class held at Family Laundry

“The people here are loving. It’s family oriented.”
Customer who lives nearby

“The people who come here are happy. They like the space for kids.”
Benita, Family Laundry worker

In the news

• “Want Kids to Learn the Joy of Reading? Barbershops and Laundromats Can Help”, The New York Times, July 2, 2019
• “Want in at the Bay Area’s hottest dance party? You’ll need to bring a baby”, Los Angeles Times, October 16, 2019
• “Oakland laundromat promotes love of reading, offering story-time for children”, KTVU, October 22, 2019
• “Oaklanders Learn Reading at the Laundromat”, Oakland Magazine, November 3, 2019

How we run the business

We put employees first, we take part in the communities we serve, and we work to reduce our impact on the environment. Thank you to Libraries Without Borders, the Oakland Public Library and Alameda County for working with us.

Laura, David and the Family Laundry team