I can confirm that the coffee shop is now operational.
We live around the corner, and have occasionally used this laundrette (the 'e' in the middle is a UK/US spelling thing, apparently), but have watched the recent changes carefully. There was a planning 'kerfuffle' caused by the removal of front windows without planning permission (there's a heritage overlay in the area), and I can see both sides of that problem. The owners' intentions in changing the windows were honourable, though I quite liked the old typography (font nerd, sorry). The cafe was held up a little waiting for approval from the Health Dept (I guess people's ability to keep detergent and sugar separate wasn't obvious to them?).
The new fitout is hip, but not too self-conscious. I have used the large washers to clean doonas, and will continue to as needed. Before the café was operational, I was very tempted to use the Soap Bar as a quiet place to write... I may still, yet.
Today I tried their coffee for the first time. I'm new to coffee-drinking, but can differentiate between nice coffee and bad coffee. This coffee was good, not bitter or burnt (to my inexpert tastes). In my change was the hottest $2 coin I have ever handled (the money tray sits on the warmest part of the fridge).
Free wifi is a boon. There's a framed TV which I'm not completely sure works if you can't hear dialogue (perhaps some Buster Keaton?). It's a place set up knowing that waiting for your laundry is not fun, and does as much as it can to make it fun. There's a nine-letter word jumble on the chalkboard that changes each workday, answer on the website. Lucky they don't make it their wifi password ;-). Their website is also pretty useful; they get a bit 'Shannon Lush' on stain removal tips, and that's a good thing.
This is the sort of place you'd expect to find in Brooklyn, except there it would be staffed by hipster douches. This is exactly the kind of gentle gentrification that Elgin Street needs. read more