We received these two letters in response to our story about The Spots pending closure.
The spot laundromat closure devastating
My name is Desirae and I have lived on the road for 10-plus years as a nomadic healer and adventure extraordinaire. I first discovered Squamish just eight years ago and fell in love with the vibe, the people, the location, the mountains and the ocean.
I call myself a local bird, as local as the Canadian geese are in this beautiful country. My most recent vision and dream I am working toward is to find some land here and build a tiny home so I can continue living in this valley for the foreseeable future summer seasons.
When I got news that The Spot laundromat in town was going to be closed down, I was actually so shocked in disbelief, as well as sad and actually heartbroken. I felt so deeply the impact this would have to my community, not just Squamish locals who’ve been here 10-plus years, but to the nomadic folks with whom my community lies. When I went away from Squamish for some years to travel and returned in the last couple of years, I was so stoked to discover this amazing new business,
The Spot laundromat — I thought it such an incredible service to have hot showers available, charging stations and state-of-the-art machines that are SUPER fast and also get your stuff CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN! I do my laundry every two weeks and am always more than satisfied with the result and the service.
The folks running this place are the cream of the crop, down-to-earth humans that are truly providing a necessary service for the entire community of Squamish, and extended community of travellers, vanlifers, folks from the city and family and friends coming to visit this magical place.
In all of my travels, there was always something really grounding and special about laundry day, no joke! It was a day of rest, recharge and tending to life admin. I’m sure we can also all agree on the feeling of fresh bed sheets! I learned to do my own laundry when I was 10 years old, and have always valued this as a token of self-love and self-nourishment. I can’t even begin to imagine a Squamish without a self-serve token laundromat. To have this available to the public is an absolute necessity for our livelihoods. I grew up in a tiny town where my mom actually owned the laundromat.
There were the regulars that came to do their laundry every week, and relied on this space and service to do so. Washing their bedding, their children's bedding, towels, clothes, when they didn’t have the disposable income to buy a washer and dryer. That small weekly expense at the laundromat was just more economical for their lifestyles
In the era we live in today, with new viruses popping up daily, the focus on personal and collective hygiene seems at an all-time high. This laundromat is a facility that is an absolute cornerstone to maintaining this personal and collective hygiene in its contribution to combating bacteria, viruses, and infections. Wherever there are humans, there is a hospital, a grocery store, a gas station and there must also be a laundromat that is accessible and affordable to those that live there.
Our first defence against infections, viruses and so forth is personal hygiene: hand washing, showering, clean clothing/bedding/towels.
Access to laundry abilities is absolutely crucial. But in order to maintain this hygiene, we all need to be doing our part on a personal level. The Spot laundromat provides a very much-needed service that is crucial to maintaining personal hygiene, which ripples out into the world as we know and have seen. This laundromat is a “sanitation station.” I used to work as a paramedic with BC Ambulance and have seen and experienced firsthand what infections can do in our homes, lives, and families. As well as affirming to me the importance of keeping things clean, starting with ourselves.
Desirae Devi
Squamish
Closure hurts community
The news about the potential closing of the spot laundromat is devastating, not just for Ashleigh, but for everyone in the community.
Since meeting Ashleigh when the spot first opened, she has become a close friend of mine and many others. To many of us, The Spot is more than just a place to do our laundry. It is a place where new friendships are born and where even some significant others have met.
I always look forward to laundry day because the prospect of meeting new people is exciting.
Chatting with people who do their laundry on the same day and hearing about their day.
Speaking from my own experience, I think many others will agree that nowadays when entering a place where people gather if it is for dinner or drinks or waiting for a service— whatever it may be—you will always see people distracted by their mobile devices.
If there is one thing that sets The Spot apart, it is that Ashleigh has created a space for people to interact with each other, telling each other life stories, people just passing through and connecting with us locals, staying for a chat well after their laundry is finished and folded.
Many people who often only visit once or twice because their machines at home are broken, don’t have an option close to home to do their chores.
To recap, Ashleigh provides more than just the obvious. Many travellers who come to Squamish to climb or bike are always excited to reconnect with Ashleigh, and other locals, to get their laundry done and even take a shower.
This is also a great addition for the less fortunate in our town.
Ashleigh is always there for people who need to air their stories or whatever they might be going through, she’s there for a hug if anyone needs it.
I really hope that we can bring this news out to the people and help not just Ashleigh with her business, but everyone who benefits from The Spot, myself included.
Vincent Revier
Squamish
