Our Story

Why We Chose Laundry (and Eau Claire)

Two moms.  One laundromat that doesn't smell like sadness. 

This all started the way many great ideas do: with two cousins, Target, and a shared refusal to accept that life has to be chaotic and ugly. 

We're Amanda and Julie - childhood cousins turned honorary sisters.  We grew up in the wilds of northern Wisconsin with a combined six siblings, kick-the-can and an endless supply of Kool-Aid, cassette tapes and questionable bangs.  Our weekends were spent choreographing dance routines, wearing matching PJs and falling asleep on each other's bedroom floors.

Fast forward a couple decades: we've racked up marriages, mortgages and a grand total of nine children between us. NINE. And with that many kids comes an absurd amount of laundry, a deep appreciation for caffeine and the realization that if we waited for the "perfect time" to start a business, we'd be waiting until retirement. 

So we said screw it. Let's do it.

We didn't pick laundry because we love the smell of Tide. We picked it because laundry is unavoidable and most laundromats feel like time-out rooms for adults. Downtown Eau Claire was a laundry desert.  We saw an opportunity to fill a need and make something better - a place that's clean, bright, welcoming and just a little bit badass.  

Meet the Team

It isn't just us, though.

Our husbands-Kyle and Rich-deserve a little love here too.  Kyle became our unofficial social media manager (read: tech support and idea filter), and Rich, our resident painter and "I guess I'll fix that" guy. They've cheered us on, carried heavy things, been Mr. Mom when we've had to work late nights, and survived more business brainstorms than they probably signed up for. 

We didn't grow up dreaming of laundromats - but we did dream of creating something useful, community-driven and not boring as hell. And let's be honest: laundry is one of those things that never goes away.

So why not make it better? Cleaner. Cooler. A place people want to go instead of a place they dread.

We poured everything we had into it: our time, our savings, our stories.  We gutted a building downtown, got our hands dirty and faced every curveball with grit and grace - okay, and some wine. 

What Clean Shirt Co. Stands For

Clean Shirt Co. isn't just about washers and dryers.  It's about reclaiming your time. It's about safety, dignity and design.  It's about creating a space where your socks don't disappear, your kids are welcome and your laundry day actually feels... kind of good. 

This is more than a laundromat. It's our legacy in rinse cycle.

And we're just getting started.

-Amanda and Julie