The Draw of Art in a Laundromat

George Schechter, 67, retired 10 years ago and played tennis until it became work. Now he is back at work managing a Laundromat in his small Van Nuys shopping center. For relaxation he sketches his customers. Schechter and his wife, Ida, live in Encino.

I was born in Brooklyn and, when World War II broke out, I volunteered for the Navy. When I was at sea with an aircraft carrier I started doing cartoons of different departments, gun crews and so forth. Also, they had me do cartoons in the Plan of the Day, a mimeographed sheet that was disseminated among the 3,000 sailors aboard ship.

After the war, 1946, ‘47, I was in Palm Springs as a sign painter. I was painting signs and riding horseback. I was dressed up in boots, you know, and renting a horse; I was a gentleman sign-painter.

I had no knowledge of business or real estate. I was in the art field. Some real estate broker told me, “This is a good piece of land, why don’t you buy it?” So I said, “OK,” and I borrowed money from a friend to buy a lot in Palm Springs, that’s really what started it. It cost me $50 a month and I literally starved to make the payment.

Around ‘55, I sold the lot in Palm Springs for a little loss, I took that money, I think it was $1,500 almost, and I bought a shack on a small lot that was on Ventura Boulevard.

Somehow or other I got a loan and I built a nice two-story building, against the advice of some supposedly knowledgeable people. They said one story was enough. I said, “Wait a second, if I build a second story it doesn’t cost me anything for the land.”

So that’s how I got started in the real estate business. Now, don’t forget, I didn’t know beans about it. So from the sign painting business I sort of escalated to investments and property.

I did all kinds of wild things. I tried to sell land, unsuccessfully, up in the Antelope Valley. The pitch was so great, that I bought some myself, 15 years ago, just recently sold it. I made a little profit, but then one year after that it went up 1,000%, 10 times in one year. My timing was off. You can really feel bad if you want to sit and meditate about it, but I just go on to the next thing.

This shopping center I bought 12 years ago and it skyrocketed. I developed this, I fixed it and changed it, painted it and nurtured it, and that’s what it takes. My office was a hardware store originally, it was a complete shambles and I redesigned it.

Then I bought a very large complex in Texas, a 210-unit apartment house. I didn’t dream that I would be able to do anything like that.

When I had a couple of vacancies here, someone wanted to rent the space for a Laundromat and I thought, “Gee, that’s an opportunity, maybe I’ll try it.” So I took the two stores and converted that into the Laundromat.

I felt that that kind of a business would allow me to continue drawing. I could get all kinds of people to pose. I have a lot of subjects because they’re always sitting waiting for the laundry.

I can do them quickly, I can do one in probably 10 minutes. They’re quick and easy and they’re not really great art, but they do the job of giving the customer an image and it gives me a little practice.

And I have a manner about me that’s friendly and it’s nonaggressive, so they can flow with me, and I can talk with them, and they feel comfortable. Everybody likes to talk about themselves. I’m willing to listen.

I never want to retire. To me, it’s an obnoxious word. I like what I’m doing. I like doing sign work for the shopping center, I like working with the properties, I like the Laundromat. I have a reason to get up and go.

I started from an orphan home, that was my beginning. No one ever gave me anything, and I just struggled with signs and digging holes and climbing ladders and working out of my garage. I was really amazed that I was able to get this far. Unbelievable.