STAUNTON, Va. (WHSV) — In 1912, Lee and Tom Beam’s grandfather Robert Beam and his wife Mae opened Staunton Steam Laundry, and would stay in the Queen City for the next 108 years before shutting its doors.
“He was a smart enough businessman to say, you took it as far as you could, now it’s time to get off the horse and let it go on down the track,” Lee explained.
With more than a century of service, Staunton Steam Laundry would become a household name.
“People would recognize our trucks, for years our trucks were bright gold and black truck, and then in 2012, we had our hundredth anniversary. We changed our logo a little bit and did our trucks a little bit differently but people recognize that name, it meant something,” Lee said.
The Beams kept the business going for over a century, expanding and buying properties throughout Staunton. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in the spring, Lee said it took them some time to realize the effects of the pandemic.
“We started having customers call in. The governor ordered restaurants to be closed and then we realized, this was not going to be as we planned,” Lee said.
Eventually, the business was not bringing in the same amount of business as they were used to. They had to lay people off and were down to working less than 25 hours per week.
In late November, the family decided to sell the company.
“One thing that went into the decision-making process we went through of who to sell to, who is going to best take care of our customers,” Tom said.
After selling to Virginia Linen Service, Lee said they will still be apart of the Staunton community.
“There is a lot of things we contribute to and still want to remain active as our time running the company is going away,” said Lee Beam.
If you have any questions or concerns about service from Staunton Steam Laundry, you can reach out to the Beam family at 540-886-1206.
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The Link LonkDecember 16, 2020 at 04:11AM
https://www.whsv.com/2020/12/15/staunton-steam-laundry-closes-after-108-years/
Staunton Steam Laundry closes after 108 years - WHSV
https://news.google.com/search?q=Laundry&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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