Rockford firefighters expand their laundromat business with third location
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — A laundromat business owned by three Rockford firefighters is expanding with its third location in less than five years.
5 Alarm Coin Laundry will open April 1 at 290 N. Mulford Road, which is next to Sticky Rice Bites in the shopping complex with Valli Produce, Oscar’s Pub & Grill and Ollie’s Bargain Outlet. The owners spent roughly a year making extensive renovations to a shuttered laundromat space and the next door former Subway, knocking down a dividing wall and overhauling everything from the underground water and sewer to the HVAC system, floors and installing all new equipment
“There is everything brand new in this place,” said Bob Remily, one of the trio of owners. “There is nothing that we kept.”
The space is now outfitted with 39 washers and 39 dryers. The vast majority are high-tech Speed Queen machines with a digital interface and a system that allows you to pay either via coin or through the Speed Queen app.
“No one likes laundry day, but we make it decent,” said Matt Felauer, another owner. “When you come in it’s clean. We get you through it quickly and out the door.”
5 Alarm started in July 2020 when Rockford firefighters Felauer, Remily and Dan Matthews opened their first location at 3939 W. Riverside Blvd., across from Walmart. They opened their second laundromat at 3110 S. Alpine Road in February 2022. Erika Hillabolt, Matthews’ daughter, is the area manager for the small chain.
Two of the trio of owners have retired from the Rockford Fire Department. Matthews retired in 2012 after nearly 28 years with the department and Felauer retired in 2022 after just shy of 22 years. Remily will mark 26 years as a firefighter in April.
They were initially partners in running several rental properties, working on houses every day after their shifts, Remily said. They were looking for other business opportunities when they saw the need for laundry services on West Riverside Boulevard.
“We got into the real estate market a couple years after the crash. We got into the rental properties. They were cheap, but we took them and made them real nice,” Falauer said. “We kind of raised the standard of what to expect as a tenant landlord. We took that model and just ran with it, and applied the same thing to the laundry business.”
The group said it was among the first to upgrade the standard for laundry services in the city.
“There were no new laundromats, ever. You would go in one and they were pretty dingy,” Remily said. “Now everybody wants one.”
5 Alarm, which always has an attendant on duty, offers essentially everything but dry cleaning. There is a wash, dry and fold service that lets you drop off your dirty clothes and pick it up the next day for $1.25 per pound. If you need express service, you can pay $1.50 per pound to get it back the same day. There’s also a wash-and-go service where you start the machines with the settings and soaps you like and then pick it up after staff has dried and folded it. That services is 75 cents per pound.
The machines also have express setting where you can wash your clothing in just 16 minutes. You can buy soaps from an automatic dispenser or purchase a container from the attendant.
The company also has a Fresh for Learning program that allows Rockford Public Schools students access during certain hours to wash and dry two baskets of clothing for free. There are currently 120 students registered between the two 5 Alarm locations already in operation.
The new location is near the high-traffic intersection of Mulford Road and East State Street. It’s also in a shopping center with multiple other stops for you to make while taking care of your laundry, whether it’s grocery shopping, grabbing a bite to eat or picking up other necessities.
“Come in and do your laundry. Go get something to eat. Go to Valli Produce. This is an errand day,” Felauer said. “You can accomplish all kinds of things by coming right here.”
About | 5 Alarm Coin Laundry
Where: 290 N. Mulford Road, Rockford
Grand opening: Tuesday, April 1, 2025
Hours: 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday
Online: 5alarmcoinlaundry.com
Other locations
- 3939 W. Riverside Blvd., Rockford
- 3110 S. Alpine Road, Rockford
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas
