Business Spotlight: Madill Cleaners making it easy

The building that houses Madill Coin Laundry sits on Gunter Street in Madill. The business was not always what it is today. Prior to William and Candice taking ownership of the business in 2018, it was a self-serve laundry mat only.

After two days of purchasing it, Candice had decided she couldn’t just sit around watching people do laundry any longer. She decided she needed to be doing something. So, she developed the business model plan of the drop off laundry services that it is today. Before the end of the month, they were starching jeans on a completely different level and had them standing up on their own.

William and Candice were both raised in Madill, Oklahoma. They have been blessed with two amazing daughters, Emily and Mollyanna, a hardworking son-in-law – Tucker Burns who married Emily – a precious four-month-old granddaughter, Collins Joyce, along with Ellie, a dog who does not seem to know she is a dog.

Emily is a first-grade schoolteacher at the Madill Early Childhood Center and Mollyanna is a senior at the Madill High School.

Candice noted that it was a funny story on how she wound up in the cleaning business.

“Okay. So, funny story. Late October 2017, we are taking family photos,” she said. “There is an ironing board in our laundry room at home. I may or may not have attempted to iron William’s shirt for family pictures. A few days after, I remember being completely annoyed by this dang ironing board in the laundry room. It’s never used and always in the way.”

“I decided to fold it up and put it away. I wrestle with the dumb thing for probably twenty minutes, and it’s got me beat,” she continued. “I don’t know how to work this contraption. I go outside to find William. I am furious and I want this darn ironing board out of my way. He laughed at me and followed me inside to save the day and show me how to work the board. He spent the next fifteen minutes playing with the darn board, sweating and grumbling before he dragged it through the front door, out in the yard, bends the legs up on it and tosses it out into the pasture. And from there, was the purchase of a self-serve laundromat that I just had to turn into a full-service laundry. Today, neither of us know how to operate one of those ironing boards, but we bought presses, so we wouldn’t have to worry about them.”

William oversees all the maintenance and repairs and Candice oversee the day-to-day operations and admits to breaking things that she may or may not always tell William about. Together, they envisioned offering big city laundry service to good ole Madill America at affordable prices. It was important to them that people understand their value in time. After spending at least forty hours at work each week, they couldn’t understand spending any more time in the laundry room.

Candice shared that there was more to their purchase of the laundry service than just saving customer’s time.

“We wanted to provide jobs in our community and with some of our services being life skills, it made sense for us to partner with the youth for part-time help,” Candice said. “In doing that, we have been able to teach much more than just laundry and dry-cleaning. We have teenagers that have shown strong leadership and great business management ideas. They have helped us grow, improve and that continues to inspire us.”

They have recently celebrated their ten thousandth drop off customer. The business is capable of laundering approximately four-hundred and fifty pounds every thirty minutes or so, which lessens what could easily be an all-day task. They also do all their own pressing and starching in house. And they have even created their very own starch recipe for their “stand on your own” jeans and named it after their son-in-law, Tucker.

The business also offers dry-cleaning, pressing, starching, steaming. Even clean bedding, all linens, comforters, quilts, specialty items and they can handle your sleeping bags too. They take care of several resorts around the lake and provide weekly towel delivery service for several restaurants in Marshall County. As well as providing uniform cleaning for area businesses and public schools.

“Seriously, if it’s dirtywe will clean it,” Candice said. “We launder everyday clothes. We provide a drop off service so you can literally just throw your bag in the door and walk out. People love this. Their time is valuable, and they don’t want to match their socks or fold their towels, and they are tired of moving the piles of clothes from the couch to the treadmill. We actually had a customer tell us he discovered there was a minimum charge on his water bill, he saved that much money utilizing the drop off service, once a week. He was famous for leaving a load in the washer and it would sour.”

Candice said the business changes every day, and even though there are struggles, it is stilol rewarding.

“You never know what’s going to happen at the mat. For instance, being shorthanded, and those times have been challenging, for sure. However, we have been extremely blessed with some great team members, and we are very grateful for all the business. Our customers are truly the best. I don’t really know that we would change anything. Everything we have done has got us to where we are today, and we have grown, laughed, cried a little and learned so much.”

She said she feels like there have been many who have inspired them along the way.

“William’s parents and my parents have always been very inspirational people to us. Our grandparents too. We both come from hard working, successful, entrepreneurs,” Candice noted. “It’s in our genes. Our community should be included as well. This community has had a hand in raising a few generations of Woods and Coleman’s. We are very appreciative of our community and want to contribute by providing services that we feel are needed and beneficial.”

She said she has advice for anybody wishing to start a business in laundry.

“Surround yourself with people that are smarter than you, understand growing pains, if you cut a stain out of a shirt-you best know how to sew.”