Feeling guilty for asking your mom to do your laundry or simply disgusted by that dirty pile of clothes lingering on your bedroom floor? Juniors Sam Tooley and Soly Zarrini have come up with a solution, called Stags Laundry.
It’s a student-run delivery laundry service on campus that began in 2011 and was launched in 2012.
“Each Tuesday morning a Fabricare Cleaners van sits in the circle awaiting students to drop off their bag of laundry, and on Thursday, they can go to the bookstore in Barone [Campus Center] to pick [their clothes] up clean and folded,” stated Tooley.
Stags Laundry offers two different plans. The first is a “light plan,” which costs $300 per semester and means students are able to use the service every other week. The second is a “heavy plan” which costs $500 per semester and is for students who have a large amount of laundry every week. Students who choose to pay for the heavy plan for the entire year, a discount is offered and the plan is $800.
“We did a lot of market research. We spent a lot of time calling laundry services around town to get a feel for pricing and cost. After bouncing the idea off friends and professors, we finally connected up with Jim Fitzpatrick from student affairs,” stated Zarrini.
Fitzpatrick serves as the assistant vice president of Fairfield University.
Prior to Stags Laundry, the university had an agreement with White Way Cleaners. When Tooley and Zarrini approached Fairfield with their idea, Fairfield was quick to drive White Way Cleaners off campus. Tooley explained, “[Fairfield] saw more room for growth in our plan than theirs. We were then able to continue to plan the launch of the service as it was a necessary step to receive the school’s backing.”
Zarrini stated, “Our business model promotes open communication with our customers. … It is our goal and one of our key competencies to be extremely flexible in an effort to serve each and every student’s unique needs. White Way, unfortunately, lacked that presence and commitment.”
This school year, their service took off. “While we believe the numbers do not support the demand, we had 25 students sign up for the service,” explained Tooley. They expect their numbers to increase drastically by next school year, hoping more people hear about their service.
“Just like any business, we have had some hiccups along the way – small speed bumps – but it is our hard work, optimism, hunger that we have which propelled us forward,” stated Zarrini.
The company is building their online presence, which would serve them well in marketing their business. Zarrini stated, “We are also working on an online/over the phone payment process that will increase efficiency and ease on our client’s side.”
Whether they are posting on Facebook or handing out posters around campus, the boys are constantly looking for new and fun ways to advertise their business.
“I’ve always had a very entrepreneurial mindset,” stated Tooley. “With each more success you become that much more motivated because you get a little taste of what it could be.”
Being such great friends has helped their business prosper. “It makes bouncing ideas off of each other natural and easy,” stated Tooley. Zarrini stated, “Having my best friend on my side throughout the process only makes it more fun and motivates me to work that much harder.”
Zarrini agreed. “Sam and I take pride in the business and what we have been able to accomplish,” he stated. “We have run into problems and complications along the way, but we have worked hard and been determined not to give up.”
The goal for these two men is to have Stags Laundry become the norm on campus. Tooley explained that both hope to be involved with the service after graduation next May and are looking for underclassmen to “step up and continue to enhance the business.”
“We do not want Stags Laundry to disappear once we graduate. We truly believe this service is a great benefit to the student body,” said Zarrini.
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