East Side Maytag Coin Laundry

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. One night, a regular named Joe was folding clothes in front of one of the machines when he heard an odd sound coming from behind him. ‘Did you hear that?’ he asked no one in particular. A delivery driver passing by paused and leaned in closer. ‘What did it sound like?’ ‘It sounded like someone saying “Maytag” over and over again,’ Joe shrugged. The delivery guy raised his eyebrows and whispered back, ‘Maybe it’s just the machine talking to itself.’ They both laughed, and Joe finished folding shirts while humming along to the mysterious noise. Turns out, it was just an old washing machine having its own little conversation—nothing more.

2. At dawn, when most laundromats were quiet and empty, a delivery driver noticed an old man folding shirts with meticulous care. As he approached the machine, the man turned around, smiled, and said simply, 'Just waiting for my laundry fairy.' The delivery driver chuckled and asked if he needed help. The old man shook his head and replied, ‘No, sonny, I just like watching how these machines work their magic.’ With that, he picked up his neatly folded pile and disappeared into the early morning mist. To this day, some say you might still catch him there—waiting patiently for his invisible laundry fairy.’

3. At midnight, when even the city’s ghosts had gone home, a delivery driver pulled up to East Side Maytag Coin Laundry. As he unloaded boxes from his truck, he heard soft laughter coming from inside. Curious, he peered through the window and saw an old woman folding clothes with a big smile on her face. ‘What are you doing here?’ asked the driver. She looked up, twinkling eyes sparkling in the dim light. ‘I’m helping the machines relax after their long day,’ she replied. The delivery driver laughed and shook his head, knowing that some places were just too strange for anyone but themselves.

4. At dusk, while customers sorted their socks, a strange humming noise filled the air. It started softly but grew louder with each passing minute. The humming got so loud that everyone stopped what they were doing and looked around puzzled. Turns out, it was just an old fan in the ceiling that nobody had noticed before. A delivery driver joked, ‘Guess East Side Maytag is trying to dry our clothes for free!’ Everyone laughed, and from then on, the occasional mysterious sound became part of the place’s charm.