Green Laundry Lounge: Where Laundry and Chai Find Common Ground
Green Laundry Lounge
Where laundry and chai find common ground
It’s not often we get to claim something is “the first” of its kind.
But Green Laundry Lounge in Greer (GLL), by all accounts and research, is believed to be the first business to offer under one roof:
Energy-star rated Electrolux laundry facilities
Farm-to-table cafe menu from a partnership with Oak Hill Cafe and Farm
High quality, sustainable, local coffee program from Due South Coffee Roasters
Green wet cleaning (an alternative to dry cleaning)
Authentic Indian street food, including traditional masala chai
Sustainable materials used in construction, laundry products, and cafe containers
Wash-n-fold service
Local art
It’s a pretty off the grid idea and unique combination owner Jay Desai dreamt up based on all of the things he loves about Greenville
—and decided to put them all in one place for the community to enjoy.
We’re excited to celebrate this new one-of-a-kind, Greenville-grown business as it plans a grand opening this spring.
Keep an eye on their social media for the party invite.
Words: Ariel H. Turner
Images: OTGG Team
Prime location
Located in the Palms at Brushy Creek at 3120 Brushy Creek Road on a stretch between Taylors and Greer that is primarily residential, GLL is positioned to be a central hub of diverse activity for the surrounding neighborhoods. It opened quietly this winter with the laundry facilities buzzing and a limited cafe menu available as they work toward their full operational capacity.
‘Be good to the earth’
Desai, born and raised in India, learned about the importance of sustainable practices from his father, who owned a large rice processing operation. Desai’s childhood memories include jumping into piles of rice at the plant, but he also learned to work toward a zero waste status through observing how his dad used every bit of the processed rice grain remnants in cattle feed and brick manufacturing.
Desai’s childhood home was a three-story house with a metal corrugated roof, that during monsoon season, channeled water into a storage well. He brought that same style of metal to the construction materials used at GLL as well as laundry facilities that use as little water as possible.
Bottom line, “be good to the earth,” he says.
By the way, that spiral staircase leads to Desai’s crow’s nest office from which he designs systems for large commercial constructions as a mechanical design engineer.
GLL is a passion project.
Keeping the Green in GVL
So just how green, sustainable and local is GLL? Let us count the ways:
1. Reclaimed wood walls built by Soteria Community Development Corporation
2. Three murals—on the back wall and both gender-neutral restrooms— by local artist Douglas Piper depicting GLL forming a bridge between Indian and Greenville cultures
3. Menu development and ingredients are grown by Oak Hill Cafe and Farm
4. Coffee program by Due South that will eventually feature a GLL roast
5. 100% recycled cups in the branded GLL items and cafe
6. 100% sustainable sofas
7. Industrial aluminum or steel in structural materials or seating
8. Energy star-rated laundry machines
9. Custom GLL natural laundry soap and soda by locally-owned Nood Clean
10. Wet cleaning process that recycles water and uses no harsh chemicals for fabrics requiring dry cleaning
11. Higher ceiling height than typical in order to let in more natural light
Recipe for authenticity
Desai and his family are big supporters of the local coffee scene and our growing restaurant community. For the coffee program and cafe menu, he chose to enlist the help of those already established in Greenville rather than enter the market as a competitor. But one thing was a non-negotiable: his family chai (NOT ‘chai tea’—chai is tea) recipe would be a highlight. He even had the recipe printed on a T-shirt you can buy. The only ingredient missing is fresh lemongrass (Oak Hill is working on growing it), and it’s traditionally poured from the brightly colored kettles above, but at GLL they’re for display only.
Due South supplies the coffee and training for the shop, and a drive-thru window will open in April. Oak Hill’s executive chef David Porras and co-owner Lori Nelsen have been working with Desai on the menu that currently includes an assortment of pastries but will expand later this spring to include salads, bowls, and sandwiches, most of which will incorporate authentic Indian flavors and spices.
With a growing selection of local beer and quality canned wine, this might be just the spot to kick back on the couch with a beverage while knocking out an otherwise mundane chore.
The future is bright
As if all of that weren’t enough to get excited about, Desai can’t say enough about what’s coming in the next few months. On the grassy area to the left of the building, cornhole and other outdoor games will be installed, and a 25’ x 16’ wooden deck overlooking the neighboring townhomes will be constructed. The goal is to provide ample opportunity for families to spend time together—whether through using a laundry service to give them a few hours of quality time back or hanging out on the deck with some good food and drink.
Speaking of which, every Friday and Saturday night Desai plans to serve Indian street food using what he calls “regular Indian spices—not toned down” to introduce more of his authentic culinary culture to the community.
It will be late spring/early summer before all of his plans take shape, but already laundromat owners from around the state have begun looking to Desai for consulting and using GLL as a model for their new endeavors. He also says he would like to franchise, eventually.
“I want more people to do this,” he says. “This should be the standard.”