New Lexington laundry goes social with cocktails, beer, plans for food trucks

One Lexington laundromat is under new management and serving up a lot more than just fresh garments and linens.

The Laundry Room, 100 Regency Point Path #130, was acquired in December 2024 by Joyce Velicovich, who has since transformed the business previously known as Soaps And Suds into a space that also features a mini bar and an assortment of events meant to make cleaning clothes fun again. According to her, the renovations to the building were just as much about breaking the negative stigma often associated with laundromats as much as it was wanting to make it a relaxing, light-hearted environment to complete a remedial task in.

“A lot of people asked why I was changing the space, and I’d just point to the half-painted cement floors and the torn posters on the walls,” says Velicovich. “Most laundromats convey that same messy image, so the idea of putting in wood floors and bringing in nicer furniture didn’t make sense to them until they actually saw it for themselves.”

Velicovich was also inspired to take over and reimagine the laundromat — which has self-serve washing and drying plus wash & fold, pick-up, delivery, ironing, dry cleaning and commercial services — due to her memories there from childhood. As one of seven kids, she says she was constantly in them growing up, leading her to want to create a space people like coming to rather than loathing it.

“Typically nobody wants to be in a laundromat — it’s usually people that simply have no other option,” says Velicovich. “But since our remodel and the buzz around the bar we’re seeing more and more folks wanting to do their laundry here. That’s part of why I renamed it The Laundry Room — I wanted things here to reflect your wash station at home as much as possible.”

The Laundry Room’s Drinks & Special Events

There’s no better way to feel at home than with a drink in your hand, and The Laundry Room has you covered with a mix of canned cocktails like Long Island Iced Tea and a Dirty Shirley along with seltzers, half a dozen wines and beer and cider options including a trio of selections from West Sixth Brewing (Pale Ale IPA, Cerveza, and Caramel Apple Cider). According to Velicovich, the offerings are something that some customers are coming around to quicker than others.

Plans for food?

“It’s not something they’re used to, so there’s been an educational side to it letting them know it’s ok and they can enjoy themselves while folding laundry,” says Velicovich. “At the same time, we pour all the drinks into glasses to keep it feeling like a family environment because kids don’t want to see beer cans around everywhere. Regardless of if you drink, we want to create a space where everyone feels welcome and you can be sitting right next to someone having a drink and not even know it. At the end of the day we’ll always be a laundromat, but now we’re a lot more than that too.”

Although there’s currently no space for it, Velicovich says she’d like to introduce a food menu or kitchen to the concept as well. In fact, she initially made a blueprint for the entire building that included a full restaurant and bar prior to a smoothie shop moving in next door. In the meantime, she’s open to bringing in food trucks to set up outside along the laundromat’s patio, an area she envisions putting in Adirondack chairs, fire pits and corn hole boards in the summer for even more added fun.

Another idea still in the experimental phase is special events like trivia & tap nights, TV show and UK game watch parties, bourbon & bluegrass evenings, live music, comedy shows, speed dating, social folding, pajama parties, paint & sip sessions and more. They even had puppies on site from Blair Run Farm to cuddle with on Sept. 28.

“I want this place to be a community hub, which means continuing to draw in our regular customers while also reinventing ourselves by offering something new in order to bring in fresh faces and expand the business,” says Velicovich.

From Drones To Clean Clothes

Velicovich is a native Lexingtonian and lifelong entrepreneur who previously was involved with military training companies and drone technology firms in Washington, D.C., and Savannah, Ga., before taking a break from it all in recent years to focus on raising her newborn daughter and be near her father following a health setback. During that transitional phase she moved back to Kentucky and discovered the laundromat, which led her back into the business world.

“When I decided that I wanted to get back in the race again there was a lot of talk about laundromats being recession proof because everyone wants clean underwear (laughs),” says Velicovich. “Because of that the place was already running smoothly and making money so renovating didn’t necessarily make sense, but the more I was here the more I wanted it to reflect my own lifestyle and affinity for nice things.”

With the renovated Laundry Room now up and running, Velicovich hopes to expand to the campus area that was previously home to a similar place called Sudsys. She would also like to create smaller hubs around the region for clothing pick-up and drop-offs that serve as mini-distribution centers.

“Whether we expand by buying other local dry cleaners or build a new facility from the ground up, my goal is to broaden our reach in Central Kentucky with more branches and small hubs that serve almost like FedEx pick-up and receiving centers, but for clean clothes instead of packages.”

The Laundry Room

Where: 100 Regency Point Path #130

Hours: 8 a.m.-8 p.m. daily

Online: TheLaundryRoomLex.com