SANTA MONICA, Calif. - “For 41 years, 41 years to the day, this has been a major part of my life, every single day for 41 years so that’s. . . I got a lot of memories and so in that way it’s a sad situation,” said Stan Fox, owner of the Fox Coin Laundromat in Santa Monica.

This is one of the last times Fox will open his laundromat, but today, instead of patrons, he’s letting in contractors that will tear it apart.

• 93-Year-Old Would Be Devastated if Laundromat Closes

Rising rents and pressure to remodel have forced the Fox Coin Laundromat on Montana Avenue to close. 

But that’s not what’s causing neighbor, after neighbor to stop by and send messages paying their respects.

“It really is kind of a gathering place, the last couple of days we were here a lot of neighborhood people came by and they were hugging and crying and it was kind of touching,” said Fox.

We first visited the laundromat months ago when it’s future was first called into question, and saw first-hand why this place was the ‘Cheers’ of this particular neighborhood.

At the center of this laundromat’s social life, is 93-year-old, Marie Elizabeth Haist, known around here as Queen Mimi.

“I feel sad about it closing, all of us do,” said Mimi.

She has spent every day of the last two decades in this laundromat, and nights as well. Because when Mimi first came to Santa Monica, she was homeless, and so for more than 10 years, she slept here, on a plastic chair, between the washing machines. 

“It’s like home, it was like home,” said Mimi. 

After a decade, the friends she made at this laundromat pitched in and got her a place across the street. They pay for her rent, furniture, clothing, food and medicine. They’ve made movies about her, and put her in the paper.

When asked if the laundromat saved her life, Mimi smiles ruefully before replying.

“Yeah.”

But only time will tell if her sense of purpose will survive without it. For some that worked there, it’s already too much.

“It’s like someone died, and you’re just like going to miss that, and you know, it’s not going to be there anymore,” said Marli Barbosa an employee of the laundromat for 20 years.

“It is truly the end of an era on Montana Avenue” said Stan Fox.