Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Last Of Its Kind?

The Chow Keong Hand Laundry is probably the last of the hand laundries in Toronto. It was opened on Avenue Road in 1946 by Chow Keong and is run today by his son Dennis who is in his eighties and Dennis's wife. If you bring your clothes in they are all carefully hand-washed and ironed and ready to be picked up several days later. I took this on a Sunday afternoon and the laundry was closed but I could see Dennis in there working away. And of course there are lovely bonsai plants in the window!
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31 comments:

  1. LowellOctober 7, 2015 at 8:52 AM

    I can't imagine such a place! Probably expensive? But worth it? I buy all my clothes at discounted prices so I hate to pay more to clean them than I paid to buy them... :)

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  2. EG CameraGirlOctober 7, 2015 at 10:03 AM

    I had no idea there were hand laundries any more! I'm fascinated!

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  3. John @ Beans and I on the LooseOctober 7, 2015 at 10:19 AM

    Okay, I'll be thinking about this one for awhile.

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  4. SharonOctober 7, 2015 at 10:45 AM

    Wow, I haven't heard of a hand wash laundry in years. That really is amazing and I can think of a couple of clothing items that I'd love to let them wash for me. My hand washing skills are not the best.

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  5. VPOctober 7, 2015 at 11:09 AM

    Almost incredible, a real rarity!

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  6. AnonymousOctober 7, 2015 at 11:23 AM

    Another huge blast from the past, although we do still have several items of clothing that still require hand washing! I imagine this business is still quite popular though?

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  7. Luis GomezOctober 7, 2015 at 11:24 AM

    Pretty amazing!

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  8. StephanieOctober 7, 2015 at 1:09 PM

    Quite interesting that someone still does hand washing laundry these days!

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  9. MarleenOctober 7, 2015 at 2:55 PM

    I suppose people still bring their laundry there otherwise they wouldn't be there.

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  10. HalcyonOctober 7, 2015 at 2:56 PM

    Hand wash? I don't even hand wash my own stuff anymore!

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  11. TomOctober 7, 2015 at 3:19 PM

    For me this is a history lesson.

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  12. orvokkiOctober 7, 2015 at 3:20 PM

    Lovely window.

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  13. GosiaOctober 7, 2015 at 3:24 PM

    lovely place

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  14. NonnieOctober 7, 2015 at 3:54 PM

    amazing that a hand-washed laundry still exists! great find

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  15. RevrunnerOctober 7, 2015 at 4:22 PM

    Don't think I've ever seen one.

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  16. AndyOctober 7, 2015 at 4:30 PM

    Amazing that the shop has survived so many years. The son is in his eighties and is still able to run the business... that is amazing too.

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  17. William KendallOctober 7, 2015 at 4:34 PM

    I know a couple of the laundries here offer to do your laundry for you, but that's still by machine, not by hand.

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  18. MoOctober 7, 2015 at 5:13 PM

    In the current economic climate they are growing here

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  19. TexWisGirlOctober 7, 2015 at 5:15 PM

    neat.

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  20. JimOctober 7, 2015 at 5:26 PM

    Don't see many of these nowadays.

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  21. Sallie (FullTime-Life)October 7, 2015 at 6:03 PM

    I'm guessing maybe the last of its kind anywhere! Wow.

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  22. LoisOctober 7, 2015 at 6:55 PM

    How wonderful that it is still there! I've never seen one before.

    In answer to your question on my blog, yes, many of the names of these cities are first nation (or native American, as we would say here in the US). In fact, there are native American mounds not far from my house and when we first moved here many years ago, my kids often found arrowheads in our yard and on the playground at their school.

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  23. KateOctober 7, 2015 at 7:46 PM

    I think the trend is away from clothes that need dry cleaning to fabrics that do not need that level of care. Nothing looks better tho than a newly cleaned and pressed garment right out of the cleaners.

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  24. genieOctober 7, 2015 at 8:42 PM

    This is an amazing story. I know they go work that you do not see anymore. They are special people.

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  25. CloudiaOctober 7, 2015 at 10:27 PM

    Something very praiseworthy about all that!








    ALOHA
    ComfortSpiral

    (\__/)
    (='.'=)
    (")_(")



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  26. Photo CacheOctober 8, 2015 at 12:04 AM

    They have a good business to be up all these years.

    Frankly My Dear

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  27. Gerald (SK14)October 8, 2015 at 3:30 AM

    I also like the reflection showing the street opposite

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  28. PerthDailyPhotoOctober 8, 2015 at 7:39 AM

    Hand laundry!! Well that's a first for me Pat, launderettes, yes. I have a friend who washes most of her clothes by hand, I mean, who has the time, or inclination to do that :)

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  29. UnknownOctober 9, 2015 at 5:31 PM

    What a fantastic place, that's so cool. Lovely reflection in the window as well...

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  30. Laura. MOctober 10, 2015 at 8:03 AM

    Gradually they disappear. For here too :((

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  31. UnknownOctober 10, 2015 at 9:59 AM

    Hand-washed? WOW!

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