Suds Up — Entrepreneurs Take on the Dirty Work
Lotta’s Laundry, Bainbridge’s year-old pick-up and delivery laundry service, is not the first business Beau and Liz Perra have started together.
“Some people set out to have multiple children,” Liz said. “We set out to have multiple businesses.”
“And multiple children!” Beau chimed in. “We have two,” Liz clarified. “And we’re going to stop there.”
The Perra's, now both in their early 30s, met in graphic design school in Montana and got married after graduation. Prior to launching Lotta’s last summer, they founded a design business, created a line of custom screen-printed and stitched clothing, composed and distributed a shopping guide mailer, ran a successful social media management and content creation company and, later, expanded into social media coaching.
“We’re kind of self-diagnosed pivoters,” said Beau.
The two have also moved around quite a bit––from Montana to Seattle to Minnesota, then back to Montana, finally settling on Bainbridge in 2023 with two kids and a mini Australian Shepherd.
“We chose Bainbridge because it made sense for our family,” Liz said. “We just want our kids to run barefoot and live crazy outdoor lives.”
With a young family, and in search of some stability, the Perras found they were getting burned out by the social media grind. The company they had built grew from content management to content creation. Not only were they running social media accounts for businesses in real estate and hospitality, but they had also started to shoot the photos and videos themselves, learning the craft as they went along.
“We’ve done some really cool photoshoots,” Liz said, but added that working in social media “is kind of like being a model or a dancer. You’re going to hit an age where that career isn’t the best for you anymore.”
Shifting algorithms, an abundance of AI content and the chaos of an ever-looming TikTok ban led the Perra's to consider dipping their toes into something a bit more visceral. The idea of a laundry service came after they moved to Bainbridge and began to consider what was missing in the community.
At the time, Liz said, she was “drowning in laundry.”
Now, of course, she has even more clothing to wash (Liz and Beau do all the laundry for Lotta’s themselves). But they hope to eventually hire staff as the business evolves.
“We try to focus on convenience and saving you time,” Beau said. “Spend more time with your family, spend more time on your hobbies, spend more time not doing laundry.”
Lotta’s was conceived as a side-gig and the Perra's weren’t sure how well it would do. Quickly, though, it became clear that the business was a success. Within four days of opening Lotta’s, Beau and Liz received their first order. Since then, the numbers have continued to trend upward.
“It’s simple,” Beau said. “You put your laundry out. I come by. You’re smiling. I’m smiling. Maybe we exchange a few words.”
Liz and Beau run their business out of an ADU on their property with a couple of industrial washing machines. They offer a range of services, including the classic wash, dry and fold combo (with options for different settings, as well as hang dry), linen pressing, and even an option to handle unwanted, gently used clothing and household items, which they will pick up alongside your order and donate to a partner charity. All detergents are biodegradable and hypoallergenic, and the stain remover is non-toxic and made in-house.
The couple is considering expanding to accommodate more orders. While they still engage in some online content creation, Lotta’s has helped the Perra's feel more rooted in the Bainbridge community as they get to know their clients’ families and watch them grow.
“The trust we’ve been able to get from people right away is huge,” Beau said.
