Grace Harrison and Rachael O’Byrne are project co-ordinators at Kitty’s Laundry in Everton, a cooperative that opened in May.
What’s the point of the project?
Grace: Originally it was thinking about spaces that are accessible that people might want to hang around in. Laundrettes are warm and familiar, there are benches, there is time – it has all the things that enable people to come together.
Rachael: It’s about offering an amenity that goes beyond its basic function.
Grace: There was a real need for a laundrette in this area that we didn’t know when we started out. Maybe you just moved into social housing without white goods, maybe you are having a tough time or you have low income or are on universal credit. One reason people get into debt is washing machines.
It’s opening night at @kittyslaundry, a cooperative community laundry in Anfield. Kicking things off with a film screening by @cinemanation about rebellious women, from protesting washerwoman to potty-mouthed comediennes in the eighties ✊ #CBWkd19 pic.twitter.com/78hVkt34eD
— Far Nearer (@far_nearer) May 13, 2019
We also have an ecological alternative to dry cleaning which is about broadening our customer base. Our machines are set up as electric, not gas, and we have a renewable electrical provider. We have all new super efficient washing machines.
When was the moment you decided to do this?
Grace: I started using a laundrette for drying because I have asthma and allergies. When I was there, I realised was sitting in a laundrette that was underused.
There were some people in there but no one wanted to talk to one another.
We had an idea to make a laundrette where you might want to stay.
We wanted to make the space multi-functional, with a bar and some food.
What’s been your proudest moment so far?
Rachael: We’ve had lots of little wins. The longevity is what we’re hoping for. When we secured the place, when we got the plans, the first team meeting with members.
Grace: Before we had this space those little wins were more important.
Rachael: The Kickstarter was one of the biggest highs. We had never done anything like this before. We launched it on a Friday afternoon, the weather was miserable and we stayed there the entire day.
Kitty’s Launderette is a workers-community cooperative on Grasmere Street in the Everton area of Liverpool.
We’re an affordable & environmentally friendly place to #GetYourWashOn & hang out.
We’re open for washing, drying & chatting!https://t.co/jcHWtlwj7V pic.twitter.com/XiioDl6uzb
— Kitty’s Launderette (@kittyslaundry) September 10, 2019
What’s been the hardest moment?
Grace: Now it feels like we have loads of people and resources behind us and it seems logical, but when we didn’t have money or a team it was just ideas and will, so keeping on to get to the next step was challenging.
Rachael:
People have lived and died in this community waiting for a grand regeneration that never arrives. So we are doing it ourselves.
We believe you can’t wait for corporate-led regeneration, we the community need to do this.
What drives you when it gets hard?
Rachael: We don’t stand alone, it has been a collective thing. We couldn’t have got this far without the Beautiful Ideas Company and other funders. That knowledge, those ideas have been there for a long time. Now it’s time to reap the rewards for all that unpaid labour.
Where has your funding come from?
Rachael: We have had support from the Beautiful Ideas Company and The School for Social Entrepreneurs. Power to Change gave us a 2017 development grant to spend on training, advice, bookkeeping, developing and marketing.
This year we got some money for the washing machines, which means we don’t have a monthly overheard or a lease on the washing machines. They arrived on April 1. The money you pay upfront was less, and now we have an asset to leverage. It’s huge investment, but it’s transformed the numbers as we’re starting a business now without any debt.
What’s next?
Rachael: This is having a ripple effect across the whole of the north end of Liverpool. We’re creating a network with community businesses, even those further away are saying we were going to do something like this, can you offer advice.
👀 Look what we’ve just picked up!
We’re getting ready for our Macmillan Coffee Morning, join us from 9:30-12 Noon for cake, coffee and conversation 🍰☕️ pic.twitter.com/VhKQaDhlcj
— Kitty’s Launderette (@kittyslaundry) September 26, 2019
Grace: We have been approached by a couple of places who want to set up a community laundrette. One of the things when you have autonomy and income generation, it takes away the need to compete for grants. We’re not competing with anyone so we can collaborate as much as we want.
What would you say to someone looking to do something similar?
Rachael: We feel entrenched in the community. We have been able to present our ideas to the community and being people along with us. But that can’t happen instantaneously, you need to spend time there.
Grace: I remember talking to someone at the one year mark and they were struggling to do the next bit. I wasn’t sure I felt comfortable telling them to keep going. But if you can find the means to keep going and it does pay off, you will be in a better place.
It was really hard when we were struggling, but I’m super glad things happened as slowly as they did. We weren’t ready. We wouldn’t have had as much funding secured.
Even if we felt ready, we weren’t ready.
What does community mean to you?
Grace: It’s more than people who live next door to each other – you can live places that don’t have community. It’s a desire to want to know the people, to have a shared space and to feel part of something bigger than yourself.
