On West 4th Street, next to Left Bank Books, Lee's Laundry has closed after 30 years in Greenwich Village.
photo: me-myself-i's flickr
A reader sent in a flickr link with the news, saying, "I asked Mr. Lee if I could take his photograph. but he said 'No, I'm too sad.' When I asked if the rent had been raised too high, he said no, that was the strange thing, he had not been offered a lease. It was a very sad scene, nothing was left in the place except Mr. Lee and the clothes that hadn't been picked up by their owners hanging on the rack... I wonder if this location is destined to be another Marc Jacobs?"
photo: my flickr
I have been watching the little Chinese launderer's for awhile now, wondering how long it would last. Surrounded by Marc Jacobs boutiques, it was like a vulnerable gazelle circled by hungry lions.
It had the tell-tale signs of an imminent vanisher--peeling paint, an interior that makes you want to peer inside, a sense of mystery. It gave you a feeling other than the plastic taste in your mouth that much of Manhattan now gives. It gave you an old New York feeling. And now it's gone.
photo: my flickr
Please read "About the Lees", where a long-time neighbor writes, "I have grown up with the Lees. They were there when I came home from high school and went to pick up my dad’s shirts... I bet they’ve been there for you too."
See Also:
Chin's Laundry
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