Laundromat facility to open in coming weeks

If you’ve wondered what is being built on River Falls Street, wonder no more.

Kevin and Bhavika Patel are two or three weeks away from opening the doors to Yellow Ducky Laundromat.

They said many locals have stopped to ask contractor Holler Homes what is going up there, and they wanted to let the public know.

The Laundromat will feature 48 brand-new washers and dryers.

And gone are the days of needing a roll of quarters before heading off to the laundromat to do your laundry.

“We will have a machine that takes credit cards and EBT cash,” Kevin said.

And there will be comfort for those who come to do their laundry as they wait.

“We’ll give them wi-fi access and we’ll have a big screen TV,” Bhavika said.

There will be a full-time attendant on duty as well.

Bhavika said they are working to soon have a wash and fold service, where locals can drop off their laundry and have it folded as well.

The Patels said when they came to Andalusia five years ago, they saw there was a need for a laundry facility on that side of town.

“We want to see Andalusia grow,” Bhavika said.

They currently own the BP station on South Three Notch Street, and have a few more projects in the works.

“We are doing this for the community,” she said. “They’ve supported us and we’ve made friends and family since we’ve been in business.”

Bhavika grew up in Dothan and Kevin is from India.

As small business owners, they applauded the help they’ve received from officials at the city of Andalusia.

“The city of Andalusia really helped us out,” Bhavika said. “They were so supportive when we would go there and we were confused.”

The laundromat project is the first they have built themselves and they had questions, Kevin said.

“They really held our hand and helped us grow,” Bhavika said. “The gas district and electric company have been great, too. We didn’t feel stressed and it’s been smooth sailing.”

The hospitality has encouraged the Patels to continue to invest in the community.

Bhavika said she plans to hire two employees once the business is up and running.

“I’ll be the main focus at the beginning and then we’ll add,” she said.

They plan to be open 24/7.

Kevin said they will soon begin building a food business next door.

Details are still in the works, he said.