St James Street Launderette

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. At dawn on St James Street, when most laundromats are quiet, an old washing machine began humming in perfect rhythm. A regular noticed it first and thought nothing of it until the tune changed—now it played the opening bars of ‘Yankee Doodle Dandy’. Soon enough, other machines joined in, creating a full-fledged orchestra. The delivery driver whistled along, thinking he was dreaming. Then, from behind the counter emerged an ancient lady smiling broadly. 'Ah,' she said, wiping her hands on her apron, 'that's our Mr. Washy-Washy. He plays every morning at exactly five.' Everyone laughed, realizing it was just another day at St James Street Launderette.

2. One day, while folding clothes in St James Street Launderette, a regular noticed something odd: every Wednesday afternoon, the same old lady appeared with her basket of whites, but she never took anything out. The regular watched curiously for weeks until one day he mustered up courage and asked her why. With a twinkle in her eye, she replied, 'I'm waiting for my husband's lucky socks—always come on Wednesdays.' The laundromat became their secret rendezvous spot.

3. One morning, as a delivery driver sorted packages near St James Street Launderette, he heard an odd announcement over the loud speaker: ‘All whites must be clean and ironed by sunset or face… well, nothing much, just a funny look from your neighbors!’ Curious, our delivery driver decided to check out the laundrette after hours. Inside, he found an old man folding clothes with meticulous care. ‘You’re the one making those announcements?’ asked the driver. The man nodded solemnly. Next day, everyone’s whites were spotless—except for one lady whose shirt had a tiny heart drawn on it in permanent marker. Her neighbour whispered, “Guess she forgot again…”

4. At closing time one night, a neighbor passing by heard strange noises coming from inside St James Street Launderette. Peering through the window, they saw a pile of freshly folded towels moving slightly—almost as if someone were hiding there. Curious, the neighbor knocked gently on the door. To their surprise, out popped an exhausted delivery driver who explained he’d accidentally fallen asleep while waiting for the laundromat to close. The pile of towels was just him dozing off in his uniform, head resting on a basket of clean clothes.