INDIANAPOLIS — The Laundry Basket laundromat had it all - a game room, big-screen televisions, a concession stand, tanning beds and even a hot tub.
WRTV reporter Marilyn Lis visited the unconventional laundry facility on S. Rural Street 35 years ago this month.
Lis spoke with manager Kevin Sandorf who also served as the laundromat’s innovator-in-chief.
Sandorf opened his business in 1984 and quickly began a personal crusade to clean up the dirty connotation of the word laundromat.
“Everybody hates to do laundry,” Sandorf said.
Sandorf challenged the stereotype of a woman with a magazine watching customers as they did their laundry. He imagined a more fun way to do laundry and it worked.
Lis talked with a customer who drove to the Laundry Basket twice a week.
“I like it. It’s one of the best laundromats in Indianapolis. You can always get a washer and a dryer and they’re always available.”
Sandorf even served as live laundromat entertainment when he jumped in front of the keys of a Wurlitzer organ.
