In last week's item concerning boutiques I wondered whether their influence could extend as far as the world of laundromats. My thanks to reader Jenifer Divine in Hamburg for informing me that in the German city's St Pauli district there is a laundromat dedicated to Jimi Hendrix which just about gives it boutique status.
It is actually called "Jimi's Waschsalon" and features eye-catching Hendrix montages amongst the washing machines. The locals have not forgotten that the great guitarist played his last concerts in Germany.
I would imagine just about everyone has at some time experienced a laundromat, or as we call them in England launderette or "laundrette". In the UK the first launderette was launched in Queensway, near Paddington in May 1949 and is still operating today. Their popularity peaked in the 1960s, but have since declined primarily because most people have their own sophisticated washing machine at home.
