O'Gorman's West Towne Auto, a repair shop with 42 years of history at 7105 W. North Ave., closed for good last month and will be replaced by a Flash Laundromat, likely early next year.
The auto shop was opened by the O'gormans in 1983 on a corner property that previously was home to a marina business, according to Sean O'Gorman. He sold the business in 2021 to Van Cleave Automotive, which kept the O'Gorman's name.
Flash Laundromats purchased the property last month and has been working with the City of Wauwatosa's Design Review Board on a landscaping plan. It plans to begin soon converting the interior of the building to accommodate 50 washers and 50 dryers, as well as a children's play area in the space where the O'Gorman's car repair bay formerly was, according to Flash Laudromats owner Gabriel Bambarakos.
There are seven Flash Laundromats locations, from West Allis to Waukesha, including one in Wauwatosa at 6110 Bluemound Road. Bambarakos told Tosa Forward News that East Tosa has been eyed a prime expansion location because of its population density and the high traffic volume on North Avenue. The former O'Gorman's location was particularly suited for the laundromat because of its on-site parking.
"It should be a slam dunk for us," he said. "We've been looking in this area for years and years."
In addition to working with the Design Review Board, Bambarakos expects to apply for a city permit allowing the laundromat to operate 24 hours a day. If all goes smoothly, the plan is to open early in 2026. "We're super excited," he said.
Sean O'Gorman, on the other hand, was sad to hear his former auto shop was closing, "but that’s the way things go," he said in an email to Tosa Forward News.
He recalled the marina that operated on the property in the 1970s and before that a Pate gas station.
"In those days North Avenue was known as 'Gasoline Alley,' At some point in time it was a De Soto auto dealership," he said. "Just before we owned it, my brother Amedee operated it as West Towne Auto Parts store, while renting out the bays for auto repairs. Then my family purchased it and slowly dissolved the auto parts section and ran it as O'Gormans Auto Service Repair facility for the majority of the time we operated it."
O'Gorman also described, over time, removing the five underground storage tanks, as well as a major remodel project in 2004, which won a Civic Appreciation Honorable Mention Renovation Award from the Chamber of Commerce.
"There’s plenty of history there from 40 years of being in business," he said.
