I've been lucky enough this week to spend time at a laundrette which simply oozes retro glamour, including these beautiful machines that have been serving the local community for 48 years:
But before I get too carried away on curves and washed out pastels and retro fonts and spare parts I want to tell you about what really makes this laundrette special. It has been owned by the same family since 1972, passing down from parents to daughter, and you can feel the history and hard work and love that has made the place. Children flown and grown and returned with their own, a friendly dog that demands ear scratches as you wait for the spin cycle, customers coming and going, news and congratulations and condolences exchanged. You get the sense that if you waited here long enough you'd meet the whole village, and all these interconnected lives would come out in the wash. In fact it came as no surprise that the owner knew members of my own family that live nearby, I think she might know everyone in a twenty mile radius, and she is clearly held in high regard by all the people who stop in. Forget the Eastenders stereotype, she is more Marilyn Monroe than Dot Cotton - and the beautifully decorated shop evokes the same vintage glamour. In fact she mentioned the Old Cinema Laundrette in Durham as an inspiration, which is definitely on my 'to visit' list next time I'm in the North East.
I have such a wealth of stories to pour over from this visit, there was no shortage of inspiration here, and I've already started thinking about how best to share those in way that truly captures the spirit of this beautiful place. Watch this space!
Shonagh x
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