Patrick and Keli Lewis, owners of the new Lewis Laundry Stop in Ripley. Photo by Ron Ralston
Lewis Laundry Stop hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony on March 25 to commemorate the opening of Ripley’s newest business.
Patrick and Keli Lewis opened their laundromat to provide an affordable, state-of-the-art laundry service while keeping it a clean, safe and friendly environment. People at the ribbon cutting were treated to hotdogs and hamburgers.
“We’re excited to be in Ripley and this community has been so welcoming of us,” Keli Lewis said. Originally from Columbus, Patrick and Keli Lewis had a dream – they wanted to live on a houseboat.
This dream took them on a drive from Cincinnati to Aberdeen to check out marinas. After driving through Ripley, the dream took a slight change. After spending a night in Aberdeen, they returned to Ripley the next day. There was just something about Ripley. They found and bought a campsite along the river. At first, they camped in their van by the river, then they bought a camper.
One of their next discussions, usually around a campfire, revolved around one question: What do we need to do to live here and not in the city? Their answer came with a home they fell in love with on Second Street in Ripley.
A sold sign went up and their new dream began.
But a laundromat? How did that play into their dream?
Keli Lewis explains, “My uncle owned two laundromats. As a child, visiting those laundromats, hearing my uncle talk about those two laundromats, it just always stuck in my brain.”
Seeing the previous laundromat empty and for sale – it was meant for the Patrick and Keli Lewis.
“The town needed a laundromat and we wanted our own business,” said Keli Lewis.
And so the fulfillment of their dream began.
Located at the corner of Stephenson and Second Street (US 52) in Ripley, the laundry offers 1,500, sparkly clean square feet. It includes 22 dryers and 24 fast and efficient Huebsch washers, a division of Speed Queen. You’ll find traditional washers (handles 10 -20 pounds) as well as large capacity washers that handle 40-60 pounds. Large bulk items like comforters, sleeping bags, mattress covers and washable rugs definitely fit easily in these “monster machines”.
Open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Lewis Laundry Stop offers drop-off service Tuesday through Saturday, 11 AM – 6 PM: Wash, dry, fold and then all you have to do is put your laundry away. This is a service that is usually completed within 24 hours. The laundromat is under 24-hour video surveillance both inside and out.
“We want to thank everyone for supporting our dream: The Village of Ripley, the other business owners, neighbors and friends. Everyone, thank you,” said Keli Lewis. “We are truly appreciative of the welcome we have received since joining this community.”
Information for this article was provided by Robin Gilbert and Ripley Rise.
