Launderville (Gone)
Oakland, CA
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

The neon out front gave Launderville a little extra glow on Oakland’s Grand Avenue. Even a trip to do the wash came with a roadside sign worth stopping to photograph. 02-06

The laundromat sat near Lake Merritt, where its sign was one of those familiar neighborhood sights that made an ordinary storefront stand out.

UPDATE: Looks like this place is gone. 09-26

De Luxe Cleaners (Gone)
Modesto, CA
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

Outside De Luxe Cleaners on McHenry Avenue, an old neon sign gives this Modesto storefront a little extra sparkle. It’s easy to imagine it catching the eye of someone headed down the road with a pile of shirts in the back seat. 01-07

The cleaners is still listed at 532 McHenry Avenue. The sign’s exact age is a mystery, but it has the look of an earlier roadside Modesto, when even a trip to the cleaners came with a bit of neon.

UPDATE: De Luxe Cleaners is gone and disappeared sometime prior to 2022. 09-26

City Cleaners (Gone)
San Jose, CA
Photo courtesy Scott Strickland

Just off the main drag on Race Street, the old City Cleaners blade sign was worth a second look. It stuck out above the sidewalk with the name running down the front, while another sign stretched across the roofline. Quite a bit of advertising for a neighborhood cleaners, but that was part of its charm. 10-09

The sign likely dated from the 1940s or 1950s. Neon ran along both sides of the blade, though clear panels were later placed over the tubing to help protect the glass. It made for an unusual close-up detail on a sign that already had plenty to catch the eye.

For years, City Cleaners and its marquee were part of the everyday scenery along Race Street. Drop off some clothes, pick them up later, and pass beneath that big sign again. Even for someone who never used the cleaners, it was an easy landmark to remember.

UPDATE: City Cleaners closed in 2018, and the sign had been removed by 2019. 09-26