Lake Cities Comes Together
A beautiful family vacation in Utah turned into a nightmare when Jessica Haney got a call at 3:30 in the morning. On the 15th of January, one of the most loved entrepreneurs of Lake Dallas, Jessica, got the news that her laundry business was caught on fire. The next thing she could think of was to book a flight and fly back, leaving her family.
She caught a flight to Dallas at 7:30 am and rushed to the laundry located in S Shady Shores Dr. Four different fire departments had come together to control the fire. The fire is said to be due to an electric issue and the building being very old; investigations are going on. Fire impacted two other businesses in the same building. Other businesses affected, Liberation Coffee and Sheer Designs, have now moved to another location.
“I was living my dream with this business. When I walked in thinking if I could get some customers’ orders, seeing 95% of the business destroyed was a complete nightmare,” the owner of Jess’s Laundry Wash & Fold shared in grief.
Jessica, who comes from a business background, started Jess’s Laundry with her husband in August 2020 amidst Covid. The decision to start the business emerged when she discovered there was no laundromat in the area. Establishing a business during Covid was challenging, but Jessica and her family took a dare and made it happen.
“We put almost everything we had into starting this business. The building was an old produce stand. Lots and lots of TLC and money was involved in getting the laundromat going at this facility,” Jessica said.
The business was running profitably. One apparent reason, a laundromat was something that the community needed for a long time. On top of that, the bonding with customers or community people that Jessica and her team created is so beautiful. When people come in to do their laundry, they catch up on what has happened since they last came in.
“A young lady with broken English once told me that she has never owned a washer and dryer and she wanted to thank me because she said coming here was the next best thing to being able to do laundry at her house,” Jessica shared. “That’s when I smiled and thought, this is what I wanted. Still my personal best compliment.”
Jessica is going through a difficult phase of her life after the business is shut down. She established the laundromat with all her heart facing many challenges, and now when everything is gone, and her staff members are jobless, it’s a tough time. But the support she’s receiving from her family and the whole community is something she never imagined, and that keeps her spirit high.
Neighbors, local officials, and the whole community are with Haney’s family in this challenging time. Many people reached there on the day of the incident to solace the family. Many of them were in tears. Jessica is receiving a lot of love and support through calls and messages from the community. “Thank you, and no apology necessary. You and your family lost a lot more than a basket of shirts. You all are still the Chick-fil-A of laundromats in my book,” a customer wrote to Jessica.
“We feel all the love and support from everyone. It’s overwhelming. Because of that – that is why I give my 100% to reopen,” Jessica said. “We want to get our doors back open and in operation.”
The communities have gathered funding and collected donations to help pay her employees. Local businesses will sell Jess’s Dirty Cocktail Laundry Detergent. Jess’s Dirty Cocktail is the secret sauce of Jess’s Laundry that Jessica invented.
Jessica’s husband, Chris Haney, is a local fireman for LCFD, who helps her on his off days. Doing business all these years, the family has learned to be 100% committed to what they do and never give up. The couple has two children, who are their biggest supporters.
“We feel all the love, support, and prayers coming our way. We are so thankful for everyone supporting us during this devastating time. We can’t wait to reopen those doors,” Jessica said.
