Balch St. Laundromat

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. It was just another day in Balch Street neighborhood when a delivery driver pulled up to the Laundromat. As he unloaded boxes from his truck, something peculiar happened: every time he placed an item on the ground, it would mysteriously disappear within seconds. Finally, one old neighbor passing by stopped and asked what all the commotion was about. With a twinkle in his eye, he picked up a nearby sock and said, ‘Oh, that’s simple—someone’s been stealing clean underwear!’ Everyone burst out laughing, realizing it was just a case of misplaced laundry.

2. One morning, as customers were folding their clothes, an unfamiliar voice crackled over the laundromat’s intercom: ‘All those who’ve ever lost socks, raise your hands!’ Suddenly everyone looked up, and a delivery driver standing in the doorway grinned sheepishly. 'I found 57 mismatched socks!' he announced, holding them aloft. The room erupted in laughter, and from that day on, whenever anyone lost a sock here, they’d simply ask for ‘the Balch St. Laundromat Lost-and-Found Special Delivery’.

3. A regular was sorting his socks one afternoon when he noticed something odd—all the shirts on the drying racks seemed to be facing the same direction. Curious, our regular asked a passing delivery driver if anyone had mentioned anything unusual. The driver laughed and replied, ‘Oh yeah, everyone’s been talking about it. Seems the dryer has a mind of its own.’ And sure enough, when they checked later that evening, all the towels were neatly folded in alphabetical order by brand.

4. A young woman was carefully folding her shirts when she heard it—a soft humming coming from behind the dryers. She turned around, but saw no one. Curious, she peered into the shadows and spotted an old man with a toothy smile, humming along to some unknown tune. ‘Forgot my glasses,’ he said, grinning sheepishly as he fumbled for his keys. The woman couldn’t help but laugh, and soon they were both sharing stories over a cup of coffee from the nearby diner.