Richard Parker never intended to be an owner of a laundromat. He was a sailor, skippering a dinghy as early as four years old inside the harbor of Port Washington, NY. In fact, Richard made a career out of sailing, bringing boats to the Virgin Islands and starting a charter business down there. And in the slack summers, he joined his father who had bought a house in New Harbor. Richard built a shack behind it. He bought the old Gulf Garage, Each year he boated for fun, and then headed back to the West Indies. But by the late 1980s, New Harbor had become a tourist destination. Richard wanted out. He sold the garage and found Waldoboro, a town with a ship-building history, and a building with that history, too.
When I looked at this building, one of the coolest things I noticed were the small rooms on either side of the corridors on the 2nd and 3rd floors. They were where the specialty builders stayed while they worked on the schooners being built on the wharves here — guys who built the masts; and the riggers and sailmakers; and the guys who put the planks in.
Carolyn Harris, who grew up here and who has worked at the laundry for fifteen years, has told me some of its history: The building used to be the Lincoln Hotel, a name we’ve kept. But it changed as the ship building ended. It was still a boarding house, but more people had moved away. In the 1950s and ‘60s, it was also sometimes a house of ill repute. The laundry, on the first floor, started up in 1952. I got interested in the laundry because I had a friend from New York that owned a laundry — actually, a couple of laundromats. And he was never at them. So, I thought, “Hmmm, seems like a good idea. I’ll make money,” because I’d already taken a chance on a gas station in New Harbor and done well. So, I bought this building in 1987.
When I showed up, it was in serious disrepair. In the beginning, I didn’t have the funds to do much more than keep the laundry open and pay the taxes. Ever hear the saying, “How do you make half million dollars in the laundry business? Start with a million and get out when you have a half million left.”
But I couldn’t leave it. I had fallen in love with the people who were its caretakers, Merle and Judy Gifford at first, and then Carolyn. And also the people who come in to do their laundry. I could never leave them.
Last year was my best year at the laundry, ever. It only cost me $2,800 to keep the door open. I put money into it every year. This is my contribution to the town, to keep this place going. For some people, you can tell that a quarter means a lot. That’s why if I’m working to fix a machine, instead of testing it without anybody’s clothes, I’ll shout for anyone who wants to use that machine for free and be my “guinea pig.”
I’ve heard there’s a new laundry coming into town. I think they’re going into the Jameson’s building across from Town Hall. Evidently, the guy’s well-fixed and builds big homes in Ithaca, NY. Why he wants to count quarters, I don’t know. I only hope that folks that are using this facility will continue. We may not be a brand new, polished laundry. But we’re in town and you can get a coffee or a beer while you’re waiting if you want to. We have books, magazines, and toys for kids. And on Saturday and Sunday nights, we leave it open for 24 hours. I’m going down with this ship if that what it takes.
Carolyn opens it at 6:30 AM and returns at 9 PM to straighten, clean and close, which takes until midnight. On top, she does all the banking, bookkeeping, ordering of supplies, and the purchasing of equipment. In the past couple of years, I’ve started helping her at night. She’s taught me about Waldoboro’s past, what it is today, and what it might be in the future. And about how complicated the business and machinery are.
Every night there’s always something. and on most days, something to fix. With Carolyn, there’s no fooling around. When she tells me to do something, I do it, and I do it her way. In the beginning, I wasn’t cleaning those white, top loading washing machines very well and she let me know. She showed me all the places I’d missed. Now, she only periodically checks. Lately, she says I’m doing a good job, and that means a lot. I also clean the front-loading ones that are too high for her while she cleans the others. And together, we clean the dryers. Then she vacuums and I mop the floor.
It was Carolyn who suggested having a clipboard for when something goes wrong with a machine, and you’ve lost money. She set it up so you write down your name, the number of the machine and how much money you lost, and we’ll send you a check. And that goes for the change machine, too.
And here’s something else she’s done: at Sproul Block they got new laundry machines, but they still have no machine for quarters. So, Carolyn makes sure that at the end of the month, when everyone gets their social security checks, that there’s extra quarters and money in our change machine so those guys also can always get change.
I believe that in a man’s life, five women will have an effect on us. Caroline is one of my five. She helps me be patient with people because I don’t have much patience. Caroline always wants to do the right thing and get a person settled.
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