After seven long months and endless red tape, Parksville’s Suds & Duds Laundromat is open once again.
The business (291 Island Hwy E) had been closed since June of 2021, when a freak accident saw a vehicle take out some hydro lines, resulting in damage to many of the laundromat’s machines.
Manager Darlene Ashby said they are relieved to finally have the situation behind them.
“So many people and families were affected by this,” she said. “It was tough when a little 90-year-old lady would call and say ‘oh, I can still wash my clothes in the sink’. We have customers from Parksville, Qualicum, Bowser, Lasqueti… everywhere. This was devastating for a lot of people.”
Ashby said on the day of the incident in June, she was standing in the laundromat and heard a loud bang.
“There was a flash like lightning inside the building,” she said. “There was smoke and flames and we said ‘everyone out of the building.’”
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Of the 47 machines at the business, eight were repaired and 39 replaced.
Ashby said jumping through the various insurance hoops resulted in the lengthy delay, and she said she was told it could have been longer given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the difficulty finding replacement machines.
“We’ve definitely got some happy campers back, though,” she said. “We’ve had flowers and thank-you cards. It’s such a pleasure seeing the smiles behind everyone’s eyes with so much negativity going around.
The laundromat is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. (last loads in by 5:30 p.m.) Monday through Friday; and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last loads in by 4:30 p.m.) Saturday and Sunday.
For more information, call 250-248-5152.