INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Agriculture accounts for about 80% of all the water used in California, but the pressure to conserve during drought impacts many different kinds of small businesses.

What You Need To Know

  • Terry Jones bought a laundromat in Inglewood several years ago

  • Utilities are some of her biggest expenses, and there were times Jones couldn’t pay her water bill

  • According to the Public Policy Institute of California, "to cover rising costs, water bills have been rising faster than inflation in many parts of California"

  • As a former laundromat customer, Jones refuses to raise prices

A vending machine with detergents inside instead of candy you’ll pretty much only see in a laundromat. Terry Jones owns the one on the corner of South La Brea Avenue and West Century Boulevard.

“As a teenager, I would just go on my own. I wouldn’t even wait for my mom to go. I would just take my clothes and put them in a little wagon, and I would take them down to a laundromat. And I loved washing clothes,” Jones said.

She bought the business as a side hustle and a nest egg. Then, she got a loan to replace the old machines with more efficient ones and got her children to pitch in.

“It’s the one thing I want to do. I want to be an example to my family. I want my daughters to want to do what I do,” Jones added.

The utilities are some of her biggest expenses that rise when things get busy. There were times Jones couldn’t pay. One recent statement from her water supplier shows she owes more than $5,000.

“They’ve asked us to conserve water. As a business how do you conserve water? As a laundromat how do you conserve? You want to make sure your customers have what they need to do what they need to do,” Jones said.

The Public Policy Institute of California finds that “To cover rising costs, water bills have been rising faster than inflation in many parts of California.”

This is when big changes are necessary, which for Jones could mean raising prices, but she refuses.

“Everybody’s paying their bills. Everybody has to make their ends meet. I don’t benefit by taking money out of their pocket because they’re me,” Jones added.

The laundromat’s 75-cent wash cycle makes a difference for customers like Elmer Alvarez and his family.

“You feel when you go to the other laundromats you spend more money, you feel that,” Alvarez said.

Stress really started getting to Jones when she learned she was laid off from her main 9-to-5 job. So, what was supposed to kick in for retirement now needs to kick in much sooner.

“I don’t see us surviving in this economy the way things are set up. How am I going to leave a legacy for my grandkids if I can’t even maintain what I already had when I started?” Jones said.

Growing up, folding clothes was always her least favorite part. Watching her dream fold would be exponentially more painful.