New owner brings fresh vision to longtime laundromat

Lori Kaye Lodes

Contributor

May 11, 2026

BOULDER JUNCTION – Katie Krause said for her, owning a laundromat in the Northwoods isn’t just a business venture – it’s a reset prompted by career changes, personal loss and a deep-rooted love of trees and community.

Krause – whose corporate training role with automotive dealers took her across the United States – said she was living near her mother in Dallas when she became ill and required open-heart surgery.

Krause said she became her mother’s full-time caregiver and worked from home during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

When her employer asked her to return to the office, she said she did not feel comfortable risking her mother’s health and was later let go from a job she had held for more than a decade.

Krause said the timing was somewhat fortuitous, noting her career had previously kept her on the road and immersed in corporate life.

“I worked on the road for more than 12 years, and I was kind of burned out working for a big corporation and traveling so much,” she said.

Krause said she remained her mother’s caregiver until her passing, calling it “a blessing and honor” to be there for her. 

After her mother’s passing, she said she moved to Madison to live with her sister and brother-in-law, where she found a new job.

Krause said she had no intention of relocating again, but she found herself questioning what she wanted for the second half of her life.

The answer, she said, led her to a place she had long loved – the Northwoods of Wisconsin. 

Krause said she felt drawn to Boulder Junction, a Vilas County community she describes as both picturesque and welcoming. 

“[Our family] spent a lot of time up north in Wisconsin and Michigan growing up, and it’s calming to me,” she said.

Krause said her connection to the region goes back to childhood, to the year her family lived in Brookfield and enjoyed family outings to Door County and other scenic parts of the state. 

“I was in the seventh grade, a pivotal point in a girl’s life,” she said. 

Krause said her sister later purchased a lake house in Woodruff, and visits there exposed her to the surrounding area. 

“In the past five years, I came up all the time, and we’d drive around the neat towns and [feel] the warmth of the country,” she said. “I couldn’t get it out of my mind.”

A Northwoods leap

So, when a longtime laundromat in the area came up for sale, Krause said she took notice, even though she had never owned a business and knew little about the industry. 

She said she was drawn to the laundromat’s longevity – noting that it had been in operation for more than 40 years and had been expanded over time to meet growing customer demand. 

“Even now, I get a lot of people coming in [who talk about] how it was really small and how they have been coming here since they were kids and they’re in their 40s now,” she said.

Krause said she did her due diligence on the property and reached out to Kathy Schmitz with the Vilas County Economic Development Corporation for guidance.

“I requested a meeting via the website, and we hit it off right away,” she said. “She became a huge resource for me. [I was someone] who had never owned or started a business, but they got me hooked up with a lot of people.”

Krause said she felt secure in the decision, pointing to the organization’s commitment to supporting small business owners in smaller economic regions.

“I had so much support,” she said. “It was a sign, if you will, and everything started to pan out.”

By New Year’s Eve 2025, Krause said she had officially purchased the laundromat.

She said she also found the perfect home for herself – an A-frame on the water surrounded by trees – completing the lifestyle she had been seeking.

“I wanted to be part of a community that’s small enough where I can make a difference, become like family and just feel seen,” she said. 

‘Warmth and personality’

Fundamental to that, Krause said, is what she has done with the business – renaming it The Laundry Room and revitalizing it by blending its practical function with warmth and personality. 

“Laundromats don’t need to be sterile and ugly,” she said. “I painted it green and am in the middle of decorating it with things I already had. I love the Northwoods, and Northwoods [decor] is not sterile by any means.”

Krause said she is also reshaping the space to encourage community, replacing uncomfortable tables with built-in seating around larger tables and adding more comfortable chairs.

“I have two sets of mother and daughter duos who come in separately to do their laundry each week, and while they’re doing their laundry, they play Gin Rummy,” she said. “It’s an outing for them.”

Operationally, Krause said The Laundry Room – located at 5434 Park St. – remains self-service, though she has added the option to pay via app for washing, drying and even snacks, while still accepting quarters.

“We certainly have older clientele who don’t want to deal with an app, but [people] who do use the app can save money because we offer deals that way,” she said.

Krause said she has invested significant time since taking over, learning the systems and coordinating maintenance on the machines to ensure everything runs smoothly. 

She said she also has plans to expand services, including a potential wash-and-fold option for drop-off laundry and a dog wash station to serve local outdoor enthusiasts with pets. 

“I’d like to add a dog wash at some point as people take their dogs on hikes and may not want to [wash them] at home,” she said. 

Krause said the facility, as it stands, has a great reputation and continues to draw customers from across the region, because it’s known to be a clean, quality laundromat.

“I have people passing other laundromats to come to mine,” she said.

Krause said that includes residents and visitors of Presque Isle, Manitowish Waters, Arbor Vitae, Minocqua and Woodruff, among others.

And because she’s open 24 hours, she said she can accommodate people working a lot of different schedules. 

“That’s been the No. 1 question from people who come in – am I going to stay open 24 hours?” she said. “There are a lot of people who come in after their shifts, be it at 8 p.m. or 5 a.m., to do their laundry.”

Krause said she is currently ramping up operations in preparation for the influx of tourists and seasonal workers who visit the area and rely on local laundry services.

“Right now, I’m preparing for the summer,” she said. “I’ve heard and seen pictures of the laundromat [with] standing room only. We get so many campers and [other visitors], and I’m excited to be part of that.”

Building community

Though the facility has a long-standing reputation, Krause said she is working to spread the word further through cabin rental companies, fishing guides and others, providing cards that can be shared in cabins, rooms or welcome books.

Community-building, she said, is also top of mind, with plans to host a cookout this summer and a grand re-opening in May.

“I’d like to formally introduce myself to the community before all the visitors get here and [share] what I am doing to increase the value of being in Boulder Junction,” she said.

Krause said the laundromat’s tagline – “Clean clothes. Fresh start.” – is reflective of both her approach to business and life in general.

The biggest confirmation that she is on the right path, she said, comes from the relationships she’s building within the community. 

“In the winter, you get to know all the locals, and they’ve been so supportive,” she said. “Some will come in and say they’re making a trip to Walmart and ask, ‘Do you want anything?’ – or during a storm, offer to make a casserole.”

Krause said for her, it’s interactions like those that reinforce she’s in the right place and doing the right thing.

“I’m exactly where I need to be,” she said.

Find The Laundry Room-Boulder Junction on Facebook for more details.