Bay View's first and only laundromat opens within a week

BAY VIEW — People can finally begin the cycle of washing and drying clothes at a privately owned business in Bay View.Spouses Rick and Meghan Hogrefe on Tuesday hosted a grand opening ceremony for their latest business venture: Bubbles by the Bay laundromat, 701 E. Bayview Drive, beside Bay Bell Restaurant.It's the only such facility within village limits. And, to Rick's and Meghan's knowledge, it's also the first Bay View-based laundromat.Bay View Mayor Barbara Wobser congratulates Rick Hogrefe after helping cut the ribbon of the village's first and only laundromat, Bubbles by the Bay, on Tuesday, May 1, 2018. "We are very, very excited about this," said Rick, a village native — his parents, Douglas and Carmen, still live in Bay View — who graduated from Margaretta High School in 1979. "It's the goal, for us, of trying to make a difference here. My whole life has really been about trying to make a difference in people's lives."But why a laundromat?Eating breakfast at "The Bell" one day, a woman approached Rick days after he bought the building. She asked him about his intentions for the building and then suggested her own idea."She said, 'We really need a laundromat.' So I went home and told (Meghan), 'We really need a laundromat,'" Rick said.Bubbles by the Bay laundromat is the first of its kind in Bay View. After researching the laundry business, Rick pursued this idea, liked it and never looked back.The facility, which opens Friday, features six washers and six dryers. They're reasonably priced, by comparison to other area laundromats, with one wash cycle costing $1 and 30-minute dry time segments totaling 50 cents.Bubbles isn't the only venture Rick and Meghan are pursuing in Bay View. With the urging and support of locals, they're also:• Investing about $500,000 to revamp the former Moose Lodge, which should be completed sometime later this year"We are turning the Moose Lodge into a hunting lodge to support the local hunting industry and bring some high-class rentals into Bay View," Rick said. "The local marshes are great draws for well-to-do hunters from around the Midwest. They need more opportunities to leave more of their money behind in the local communities."• Committing about $150,000 to upgrade the Cedar Motel, under new ownership, the same as those running Hotel Kilbourne in Sandusky.• Working on a project through their nonprofit foundation to overhaul the local baseball fieldRick explained his rationale for committing much of his time and company's resources into these projects. He also elaborated on his belief in Bay View."We are here to bring Bay View back to what it was," Rick said. "When I was here in the 1960s and 1970s, I remember this vibrant, wonderful, beautiful village, where kids were playing on every street corner with businesses all along here, and everyone was doing well. We want to do a lot of things around here and help the village grow into something better. That doesn't mean different. It just means growing. What we want to do is be a part of that controlled change and a part of doing something that makes Bay View a place you want to be in and live in."Bay View residents gather at Bubbles by the Bay Laundromat during a preview event Tuesday evening. Since 2016, under their company H2 Property Holdings, Rick and Meghan, who hail from San Diego, California, have bought several properties across Erie County, primarily in Sandusky and Bay View. They also have stakes in various local businesses. To date, their investments total almost $20 million.Among the more notable pieces in their portfolio: The Cooke Complex, formerly The Cooke Building, on Columbus Avenue and Market Street; They want to repair the facade to match its original look. On the inside, they'll construct large suites and restore the building's ballroom and theater.Rick spoke about the special nature both Sandusky and Bay View boast."Sandusky has about anything a town could want: history, a waterfront, a huge local draw," he said. "We also saw a wonderful opportunity to help rebuild Sandusky. I am a firm believer these are the right moves. The city is ready to transform. We want to be a part of it."And on Bay View: "I'm a villager, pure and simple. The village never left me. I have always been a Bay View boy. Our ethics here, our morals, the way we think, the way we feel about ourselves and our community is something really special and that never let me. It was this place that always gave me joy, and it really drew me back here."Rick and Meghan Hogrefe introduce Bay View's newest business, Bubbles by the Bay laundromat during a preview event on Tuesday, May 1, 2018. Reach reporter Andy Ouriel at ouriel@sanduskyregister.com and follow him on Twitter @AndyOuriel.