Home | About | Contact
Custom Search

 

Roadside Cleaners Southeast

 

1 Hour Cleaners (Gone)
Roanoke, VA
Photo courtesy Jeffrey Cook

That little blue clock is what catches your eye first. Mounted beside the glowing neon letters, it always seemed to be pointing at one o'clock, a clever reminder that Sunshine One Hour Cleaners promised fast service long before drive-thrus and same-day delivery became the norm. It was a great little downtown sign that rewarded anyone taking the time to look up. 11-07

The business traced its roots back to the early days of the last century, while the familiar neon sign arrived sometime in the 1950s and became one of Roanoke's more recognizable pieces of commercial neon. It wasn't flashy, but the bright lettering and that frozen blue clock gave the storefront plenty of personality.

If you were wandering through downtown, this was one of those signs that made you stop for another look, even if you didn't have a shirt that needed cleaning. Sometimes the smallest roadside details end up being the ones you remember most.

UPDATE: The cleaners closed in 2021, the storefront is now home to Bison Head Cigar & Lounge, and the familiar neon sign had been removed by 2024. 07-26

 

 

Forest City Laundry (Demolished)
Forest City, NC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

Sometimes the building disappears, but the sign refuses to give up. That's what happened with Forest City Laundry, tucked away on a side street in Forest City. By the time this photo was taken, the laundry had already been demolished, leaving its weathered sign standing watch over an empty lot. 03-08

It's the kind of scene that makes you slow down for a second look. You can almost picture the building that once stood beneath it, with customers dropping off shirts and picking them up a little cleaner than they arrived. Without the sign, you probably wouldn't even know a business had ever been there.

UPDATE: The laundry building had already been demolished before this March 2008 photograph was taken. 07-26

 

QUICK LINKS

 

 

 

© Copyright 1998-2026 Syd Nagoshi. All rights reserved. No portion of this document may be reproduced, copied or revised without written permission of the author.