When Domonique Boone was asked to help her mother wash clothes after her mother's washing machine was out of power, she did not expect that a simple housework in 2017 would lead her on the road to entrepreneurship.

"When I was washing and folding my mother, I thought if I wasn't there (what would happen); is there any service to help her?" the 31-year-old Buffalo, New York native recalled.

Today, Boone is the owner of Leslie's Laundry Care, and she founded a company that provides pick-up services in the same year. She said that at first it was just a side job, but when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out in 2020 and Boone lost her normal job, she decided to work full-time in the laundry business.

Last week, Boone announced a new service-a set of self-service lockers in Carolina Place Mall, where customers can put clothes that need washing, ironing, dry cleaning, repair or modification. (The blue and white lockers are near the entrance of the mall closest to the Barnes & Noble bookstore.)

The laundry locker is not a new concept, but Boone believes her locker may be the first in the Charlotte area.

Boone’s business expansion is a story of perseverance.

When Covid struck, her pick-up service was cut in half.

"We have almost no customers because everyone stays at home and does their own laundry, and it's very cost-effective," she said.

When business started to recover, many customers had security questions and asked about contactless options. Boone said that after doing some research, she found examples of laundry lockers in other states.

"I think this is a way to get closer to customers so that they can have a pick-up and drop-off point," she said.

In February, she obtained MBE certification from the Carolina-Virginia Minority Supplier Development Council and purchased a set of lockers for customization.

Boone contacted the Carolina Plaza Shopping Center, a shopping mall in cooperation with the City Council, to see if she could start a new business in the shopping center. They accepted her request, and her locker was raised on November 8.

By scanning the QR code with a mobile phone, customers can create accounts, track laundry, store payment information, and earn loyalty points. The cost of washing and folding is $3 per pound; dry cleaning is priced per piece of clothing.

Boone continues to provide shuttle services in Charlotte, Rock Hill and Fort Mill.

As a private company, Boone declined to discuss the financial situation, but she said that the business will add about 9 new customers every day.

She said that before the pandemic, the company used its own commercial machines to wash and dry clothes, but because of concerns about Covid, this work is now outsourced to other local businesses.

Boone said that although her target audience is local families, she hopes to add more commercial works. She currently has a Covid-19 sanitation contract with UNC Charlotte's housing and living life. She said that she also recently signed a contract with Belk to wash and iron the clothes used in the photos.

"These big companies are the targets of Leslie's Laundry Care," she said.

In addition to making money, Boone said she also wants to use her business to help others, so last summer, she launched the Leslie Laundry Care Foundation, a non-profit organization that donates clean and used clothes to help the homeless. Returned person.

Even Boone's decision to name the company after her now 6-year-old daughter was purposeful: she wanted to emphasize to her daughter the importance of accumulating wealth for generations. Boone said that one day, she hopes her daughter can run the company.

"This is very important because I want to be her role model, and I want her to see the end of the business," she said.

Boone said that one of her goals is to franchise her laundry lockers throughout the city and surrounding areas.

"We hope that in everyday places, such as grocery stores,...gas stations, and wherever lockers can be placed, we all want to do this," she said.

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