Sometime around 1961 or 1962, Boy Scout Troop 8 was paid to distribute flyers for the grand opening of the Sofspra Kar Laundry (I guess they couldn’t think of a way to butcher the spelling of “laundry). I ran across one of those flyers in a file folder. (The back had been used to scrawl some meaningless notes.)
I could have sworn I shot some recent photos of the car wash at North Kingshighway and Marilyn Drive, but they came up missing.
Water Works Car Wash
On the way home the other day, I whipped into what is now called the Water Works Car Wash to shoot some updated photos. When I was a kid, I can remember Dad taking the wooden screen panels off our porch, loading them into the back of his pickup (always a Chevrolet) and taking them to the car wash for cleaning.
Prices have changed
The days when you could clean your whole car – and I’m talking about a monster 1959 Buick LaSabre station wagon- for a couple of quarters are long gone. Tokens start at a buck and go up. I will say the facility appears to be in pretty good shape, considering that it’s more than half a century old.
It certainly outlasted my old station wagon.
I don’t really remember this car wash but, looking at the flyer, would think it was pronounced “sof-spruh” – not a great name! I once washed a Persian rug at a car wash – turned out great.
Used to get my wagon done there back in the 70s.