Happy Day Laundry (Gone)
Memphis, TN
Photo courtesy Sherry McGee

The suspended shirt-like figure at Happy Day Laundry looked almost as though a customer had floated above Union Avenue. Hanging beneath the circular sign, it gave the cleaners an unusual silhouette that invited a closer look. This was advertising with a little humor, turning clean clothes into a roadside character. 09-06

Happy Day began in 1946 and grew to four Memphis locations. The Union Avenue business remained for seventy years, with its distinctive sign becoming part of the street's familiar commercial scenery. The combination of a circular panel and dangling figure made it stand apart from more conventional laundry advertisements.

UPDATE: A fire severely damaged the business in 2016 and brought operations here to an end. The sign survived the blaze but was removed by 2017, taking another memorable piece of Union Avenue advertising with it. 11-26

Imperial Laundry (Gone)
Meridian, MS
Photo courtesy Tony Craig

A crown gave Imperial Laundry a suitably royal introduction along Meridian's 24th Avenue. Perched above the tall neon sign, it turned an everyday laundry stop into something worth noticing from the road. The name and decoration worked together, giving customers a landmark to look for instead of just another storefront.

The business dates to 1944, and its crown-topped advertisement became a familiar part of the local commercial landscape. Laundries often invested in distinctive signs, using neon and recognizable symbols to attract customers after dark. Imperial's design made good use of both, dressing a practical service in a little roadside ceremony.

UPDATE: The former 24th Avenue location has been repurposed, and the crown sign was removed around 2024. The Imperial Laundry name continues at other Meridian locations, although this familiar advertisement is gone. 11-26

Liberty Laundry (Closed)
Louisville, KY
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

The little coin image on the Liberty Laundry sign gave motorists something extra to notice. Worked into the neon advertisement, it helped distinguish the business from the surrounding storefronts without requiring an enormous mascot or elaborate building. It's the sort of detail that becomes more interesting the longer you look.

The sign belonged to a familiar tradition of neighborhood laundries advertising with bright tubing and bold lettering. These were everyday businesses, but their signs often supplied more personality than their modest buildings. Liberty's combination of lettering and a small pictorial detail made a practical service worth a roadside photograph.

UPDATE: Liberty Laundry has closed. The present condition of its building and sign remains unconfirmed, leaving this view as a record of another distinctive Louisville neighborhood advertisement. 11-26

Volk Cleaners (Gone)
Louisville, KY
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

The big arrow at Volk Cleaners Drive-In made its message clear: turn in here. Standing along Frankfort Avenue, the sign combined straightforward lettering with a shape designed to catch motorists before they passed the driveway. Beside the neighboring Patrick's Beer Garden sign, it helped give this stretch of Louisville a particularly memorable collection of vintage advertising.

Volk served customers here for about forty years before owners Judy and Bill Rogers closed the business on October 24, 2015. The sign remained for a time afterward, advertising a familiar neighborhood service even though there were no more clothes to collect from the counter.

UPDATE: Volk Cleaners closed down for good on October 24, 2015 after 40 years of serving Louisville. The owners of the cleaners, Judy & Bill Rogers, thanked their customers at the very end. 08-17

UPDATE: The former cleaners building has been repurposed, and the Volk sign had disappeared by 2021. Its departure removed one half of a distinctive pair of advertisements that once stood together along Frankfort Avenue. 11-26

Kelly's Cleaners (Gone)
Mobile, AL
Photo courtesy Phil Proctor

The giant clothes hanger above Kelly's Cleaners left little doubt about the business below. Combined with neon lettering, it made the Government Boulevard location easy to recognize from U.S. 90. The drive-up canopy added another appealing detail, giving customers a convenient stop and roadside photographers a building worth examining. 06-06

Kelly's was established in 1947, and this location opened in 1968. The sign and modern canopy gave it a coordinated appearance, turning the simple act of dropping off laundry into a distinctly mid-century roadside experience. The oversized hanger was especially effective: familiar, easy to understand, and large enough to register from a moving car.

UPDATE: The cleaners had closed by 2021, and its neon signs were removed. The building now houses Royals Academy, while the former drive-up canopy has also disappeared. 11-26

Aladdin Laundry (Gone)
Birmingham, AL
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

No genie ever popped out, but the lamp on top of Aladdin Laundry certainly got your attention. Perched above the roadside sign, it turned an ordinary neighborhood cleaner into one of those places that begged for a second look. 06-06

Aladdin had been serving Birmingham since the late 1940s, and this location in English Village carried on the tradition with one of the area's more memorable signs. It wasn't flashy, just a clever design that gave the business a little personality and made it easy to spot from the road.

Sometimes that's all it takes. A simple idea, a little neon, and a sign you'll remember long after you've driven on to the next stop.

UPDATE: The Cahaba Road location has since been repurposed as another cleaners, and the Aladdin lamp sign has been removed. 07-26

Alamo Cleaners (Gone)
New Orleans, LA
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

The tall arrow above Alamo Cleaners gave Jefferson Highway motorists a clear invitation to pull in. Rising above the building, the sign had the practical job of making the driveway easy to find, but its size and shape also gave the business a recognizable roadside identity. An ordinary cleaning errand came with a memorable landmark.

Arrow signs worked particularly well along busy commercial highways. Drivers could pick out the direction before reading every word, and the design helped a modest business compete with its neighbors. Alamo's version belonged to that straightforward tradition, using an oversized pointer to advertise a service people needed regularly.

UPDATE: Alamo Cleaners has permanently closed, and its arrow-topped sign has been removed. The familiar pointer is no longer part of the Jefferson Highway streetscape, ending another small chapter of neighborhood roadside advertising. 11-26

1 Hour Cleaners
Decatur, GA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Color did much of the work at 1 Hour Cleaners in Decatur. The bright roadside sign stood apart from the surrounding storefronts, turning an everyday business into something worth noticing from the car. Its lettering delivered the practical message, while the colorful design supplied the personality. 06-06

The promise of one-hour cleaning belonged to an era when speed became a major selling point for neighborhood service businesses. Signs announced convenience as prominently as the business name, hoping to catch drivers juggling errands on the way home. This example combined that familiar promise with a design that remained interesting long after the initial glance.

UPDATE: The present status of this Decatur location and its sign has not been confirmed. The photograph preserves the colorful advertisement as it appeared in 2006, when it still added character to the roadside. 11-26