Getting A Nice Sunflower Tan

I have, however, long since stopped going to Nora Coin and Laundry because... well... it was starting to smell. Worse.

Instead, for the past year or so, I have been going to Classic Cleaners Tan & Laundry (1037 Broad Ripple Ave). The 'mat sits right smack dab next to the Monon, sandwiched between Thai Cafe and Milano's... or whatever it is now - some biscuit place I think. It used to be Milano's. Until the owner sold it. Now he runs a deli at Saint Vincent's. I think it's Saint Vincent's. Hm...

Anyway, I chose Classic because it was brightly lit, with plenty of seating and even better, plenty of machines. Two televisions were perched on one wall and over all everything was nice and clean (which helps when you're taking care of getting other things clean). When the weather was nice, I could just walk over to the Monon and sit on a bench and read while waiting for my laundry. All in all, it was a fairly pleasant laundering experience.

Crispy or Traditional

But something happened over the year. I think the businessss switched owners and somehow Classic Cleaners became more about tanning and less about cleaning. Slowly, over the span of a few weeks, great chunks of washing machines were removed, effectively cutting the number of available washers in half. Then, copious seating was removed and replaced with great hulking tanning booths.

Ok, great, so my comfort in the 'mat was now reduced. Where once I was guaranteed of finding open machines and a decent place to sit, now I had to wonder if I would be able to find available washers and even still - a seat away from the doors in the cold weather. On the plus side, the televisions were updated with flat-screens, but that doesn't excuse them from moving the clock to a spot where you simply can't see it in order to watch the time on your wash.

So evidently tanning is a greater business than laundering for Classic. Or one would think, as even dryers were removed to make way for a few more beds. But I noticed something else, sitting there week after week and waiting for my laundry. Tanning only really takes a few minutes. A customer typically comes in for a tan, gains access to a tanning device (booth, bed, oven - whatever) and within a few minutes, they're done and out the door. Laundry takes much longer.

I have never seen a line for tanning. In fact, I have never seen all of the doors to the beds/booths shut at any one time. There has never been a mad rush on tanning. Never has an employee announced over an intercom "More Austrailian Gold to booth 13! More Austrailian Gold to booth 13!"

However, I have had to wait for an available dryer or two.

Park This!

Just what the hell is the deal with Sunflower Market anyway? I would watch the construction of the market, as the strip mall where Classic resides is in the same lot as Sunflower. I would think back to the days of shopping in the complex where there was once a Coconuts Music and then the thrift store. Now it was going to be some sort of hippie care-bear supermarket. Well, that's good for people who like their health, I suppose.

And then one day, the signs went up. Half of the parking lot had been taken over in what I could only call a bloodless coup by Sunflower Market. There were now one-hour signs and "Parking Reserved for Sunflower Market Customers Only", announcing in a simpering passive-aggressive voice that "We're just gonna have to tow you, dude. Bummer."

Half. Of the stupid. Lot.

Now, if I wanted to access any of the businesses in the strip mall (including my weekly stop to Classic for my laundry). I had to park inconveniently on the other side of the lot, since Sunflower, whose earthy-crunchy vibe makes you think that they "care", simply does not want to share. Way to spread the love, Sunflower.

Mind you, of all the spaces claimed by Sunflower, only half ever seem to have people parked in them. Even still, the people who park in these spaces are patronizing businesses other than Sunflower. Why? Because it's just stupid.

I want to see how much time and effort Sunflower wastes on enforcing their parking rules. I want to see them tow a few SuVs here and there. Let the people at Thai Cafe and Shalimar pitch a fit when their vehicles are missing after their meals thanks to some hippie parking nazis.

Parking immediately outside the market - sure - I can see claiming those spaces for your customers. Five rows of prime parking space, however, is simply rude and inconsiderate. It is inconsiderate not only to the customers who might shop at Sunflower, but also to the smaller, locally owned businesses within the complex.

Put Up or Shut Up

I guess the only real solution is to break down and buy a washer and dryer set. Using Classic as my laundromat is becoming increasingly inconvenient. Sure, I could switch laundromats, but then I would need to learn a new set of rules, stake a new territory for washing/waiting, and even still - learn a new schedule of peak/off-peak hours. It would be like trying to make a new friend at a new school.

So who has a line on a good place to buy appliances?