Laundromat Meets Library

“Sometimes when you talk, the universe listens.”

That’s what Chris Walker, manager of the new LaundroMax on Whalley Avenue, said to me as we watched 25 kids sit still between rows of gleaming washing machines and a cacophony of dryers tumbling and buzzers going off — and prepare to hear a story read aloud at New Haven’s most innovative new branch library.

Behind them was a row of goodies: There were chocolate chip cookies, chips, fruit snacks, juice boxes and even hot chocolate.

But the kids’ focus was squarely on Lauren Anderson, owner of Possible Futures bookstore, with her colorful shirt and the book she held wide open with one hand like a seasoned veteran.

I first spoke to Walker about a month ago, when the LaundroMax held its grand opening. He already knew that he wanted to turn the laundromat into more than just a place to wash clothes. That vision led him to take a small but fateful step: He wanted to install a magazine rack, so that customers could read while waiting for their clothes.

Enter Anderson, quite literally.

She walked into LaundroMax one day and asked Chris if he would be willing to install a Little Free Library in the laundromat. Lauren’s bookstore had been chosen as one of three finalists across the nation to receive funding and support to put up ten Little Free Libraries to spread access to books. A small wooden box would be filled with books, and customers could take one or leave a book for others. It was a match made in heaven.

Soon the laundromat was hosting third-graders from L. W. Beecher Museum Magnet School of Arts and Sciences. They were brought there by another Lauren — Lauren Canalori, a literacy coach at the school. Canalori’s mission isn’t simply to help students read more, or better. She wants them to really love books and reading.

What better way than to read to children in a novel location?

The two Laurens have worked together in the past. So when Anderson reached out to Canalori, she leapt at the chance to put the love for reading into a space that was familiar for the kids but also different from school.

Anderson read The Light She Feels Inside, written by Connecticut’s own Gwendolyn Wallace. In the book, a little Black girl draws strength from the legacy of Black women of the past so that she can change the world for the better.

Having the students visit the laundromat also dovetailed with their Black History Project for the month. They were interviewing different Black leaders in the community, then writing essays about the interviews and drawing pictures of their subjects to display at the end of the month. Chris Walker joined that illustrious group, as the kids asked him the hard hitting questions that even I didn’t dare take on:

“What’s your favorite pizza?”

Chris thought for a moment, knowing that any answer he gave could make him a pile of friends, and even more enemies.

“It’s a tie between Sally’s and Modern Pizza,“ he said, and the children erupted in applause.

“What’s your favorite kind of pizza?” someone shouted.

“Clam casino,” he answered, and several of the children’s faces turned up in disgust.

The interview ended, and it was time for the kids to head back to school. They gathered up their snack wrappers and got ready to head to the bus, but not before they got their very own copy of The Light She Feels Inside. Not only that, they were allowed to place a book of their choice in the Little Free Library to get it started

Chris still has tons of ideas for how he wants to turn the Laundromax into a community hub. The universe was listening, and it brought him, Anderson, and Canalori together for an event the third graders won’t soon forget. Everyone else should be listening to him too.