HELPY SELFY LAUNDRY

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?

	Frank Passic — Albion Historian An Albion native and 1971 graduate of Albion High School, Frank Passic has been researching and writing Albion history since 1976. He is the creator of the Albion Historical Notebook, with hundreds of articles appearing weekly in the Morning Star and The Recorder. Frank maintains an extensive personal archive including Riverside Cemetery records, family surname files, genealogies, photographs, city directories, and high school yearbooks. Support his 2026 research at the Historic Albion Michigan Facebook page. Historical Notebook \| From the Archives \| Subject List \| 100 Years Ago \| Alphabetical Index \| Frank Passic Home Page \| Albion History Books \| Contact Frank
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