I suppose this began with the shoot of the Langroyd
Laundrette in Colne. I went in to the
building and asked the attendant politely if I could take some shots. She agreed with question. There was also a customer in there and as I
was shooting we were chatting about photography, about film versus digital and
about laundrettes.
It became apparent that this man lived on his own and the
laundrette was much more than a place to do his washing. It was also a place for him to chat to people
and to pass the time of day. I just wish
that I had interviewed him when I was there instead of concentrating on making
pretty pictures.
Another day and another laundrette! This time in the neighbouring town of Nelson
and a similar story began. This time the
conversation was first with the attendant and myself and then an overheard
conversation between the attendant and a customer.
Subconsciously, I was beginning to notice that laundrettes
where not just places to do washing but were a sort of community hub as well. Regulars knew each other, some were even
friends; Staff had a rapport with the customers that also verged on
friendships.
I also began to notice something else. It’s like when you buy a car, soon you begin
to notice the same type of car on the roads.
Were previously you only saw one or two you now see them all the time. I began finding more and more
laundrettes. Even worse, my daughter
started spotting them for me as well!
Some of these laundrettes were also changing my opinion of
them. More and more of them are popping
up in our towns and not only that some are very modern, attractive places to be
in.
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