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Any photos not otherwise credited are from the personal collection of Frank Passic, Albion Historian.
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Morning Star, March 6, 2016 pg. 4 One necessary business in any community is a laundromat. Albion once had several. During our boom years in the mid-20th century there was one that had its own unique name: The Helpy Selfy Laundry. It was a very descriptive of the do-it-yourself method applied there. The Helpy Selfy Laundry opened on Thursday, June 7, 1962 at 111 W. Cass St. across from the police station, in its brand new cement block building. The site had formerly been part of a block of Albion businesses on W. Cass St. More specifically, 111 W. Cass St. had been the site of the Crosier electrical fixtures, wiring and supplies store in the early 20th century. That building was demolished to make way for the laundromat. To the west in 1962 was Pizza Pete’s pizza establishment. To the east was a municipal parking lot, formerly the site of Albion’s old fire and police station structures which had been demolished in the late 1950s. The Helpy Selfy Laundry was owned and operated by local entrepreneurs George and Jack Ryser. It was a 24-hour 7-days-a-week operation. The Laundromat had ten washers, five high speed extractors, and six dryers. The extractor could spin 1,723 revolutions per minute. The first customer on opening day at the Helpy Self Laundry was Florence McGormley (1910-1986), who got her photo taken along with owner Jack Ryser (1916-2007). From our Historical Notebook this week we present that photo. How many of our readers remember going to the Helpy Selfy Laundry?  The first customer Florence McGormley (1910-1986), with Helpy Selfy owner Jack Ryser (1916-2007), on June 8, 1962 Next: THEY CAME FROM KOBRIN All text copyright, 2024 © all rights reserved Frank Passic
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