MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee's east side is now home to a new third space uniquely nestled inside of a laundromat.
This is Kelli Johnson, the owner of The Washroom at 2706 N. Murray Avenue. Kelli was born and raised in Milwaukee, and her roots are a big reason behind her goal of creating this community hub.
"Once I bought it, I stayed in here and asked a lot of the regular questions, and what would you like to see from this place, and it’s still developing," said Kelli.
Thursday was a very big day for The Washroom and its patrons because after months of waiting, Kelli announced new washers and dryers would finally be installed.
Watch: Fostering community connection at 'The Washroom':
The new machines are arriving just in time for Kelli to continue planning for her first big community event.
On April 6th, Kelli will host a free wash day! That means anyone can stop by The Washroom and do their laundry for free, no questions asked.
Kelli said she's excited to upgrade the equipment, especially since the old machines were more than 30 years old.
When Kelli bought the business from the previous owner, she had big plans to upgrade the space so everyone in the community could utilize it for 30 more years.
Kelli said that she got the idea to turn the laundromat into a third space after studying abroad in Europe. She said she visited a laundromat that doubled as a bar and from that she created her own business plan.
"I thought it was really innovative and also efficient," said Kello. "So, I was like, if I have a sort of business I think that it'll be something similar to that, and six years later I found myself just wanting to do something more creative and wanted to buy a laundromat."
Kelli said the deal came with a lot of responsibility but she hit the ground running.
"I created an entire business plan, I love the owner," said Kelli. "We’re very close, but like it was a failing laundromat and it wasn’t doing super well. A lot of the machines you can see were old and breaking down. So, I called him up and said 'hey are you interested in selling?' and he was very open to it, and sold it to me at a very fair and affordable price."
She started with giving the laundromat a fresh look. She painted the walls, floors, doors, and added a cool vintage mural to tie in the new retro theme.
"Previously it wasn’t very comfortable or inviting and that was my goal," said Kelli. "I love interior design, so when it comes to developing a new space that’s always been like something I've just really enjoyed."
Beyond just offering affordable and efficient laundry, Kelli said she hopes to give people a place they can call home. Kelli told TMJ4's Sydni Eure she was excited to build community there.
"I’m still getting things together, but I think generally I still want this to be like a very fun spot for Murray Hill," said Kelli. "This has been here for so long, so it’s like putting more money and love back into this place is like super vital and important.”
The Washroom has a library, lounge area, and Kelli is always looking for local artists to showcase their work on the windows and chalkboard. The washroom also has a vending machine full of snacks, of course, but it also has things like condoms, Plan B, and Narcan.
"The whole point of it is just so like if you do need those resources they’re here," said Kelli. "You’re welcome to stay here. You’re welcome to hang out here and there shouldn’t be an issue with that. Once again it’s a third space and it’s a space where you can just hang out, read, hang out, do some work, whatever you need to do and it’s there is no aspect of me kicking anyone out here.”
Kelli is looking for potential artists, food trucks, and coffee vendors to set up in the loading zone outside The Washroom during the free wash day on April 6th.
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