A 1955 Brevard laundromat.

For the past
several weeks Picturing the Past has been featuring photographs from inside
some of Brevard’s businesses.  Drug stores, restaurants, barber and beauty
shops, department stores, furniture stores, and jewelry shops have all been
covered.  There are a few photographs that don’t fit any one type of
business but that should not be left out so this week’s photographs are a mix.

In the
mid-1900s laundromats became a vital part of every community.  Staffed laundry businesses offered washing,
drying, and folding service. 
Self-service laundries provided coin-operated washers and dryers for the
customers’ use.  Transylvania County has
had numerous laundromats through the years. 
The photograph here is dated 1955. 
Citizen’s Telephone directories for 1955 listed five laundromats—Brevard
Laundry & Coal Company on Whitmire St., Micy’s Laundry on King St., Nu Way
Cleaners on N. Caldwell St., Superior Cleaners of W. Main St., and The
Launderette on S. Broad St.

Tankersley Florist.

The next
photograph is inside Tankersley’s Florist shop on West Main St.  Quay and Etta Tankersley began their floral
business in the old Clayton Hotel on the northwest corner of Main and Caldwell
streets in 1939.  When the Clayton Hotel was
turned down they moved into the one-story brick building beside it.  Over the years they would move two more
times, each time just one door west of their previous shop.  The Tankersleys officially retired in 1966
when their daughter and son-in-law, Marie and Herbert Henson, purchased the
business.  In 1970 the Hensons added a gift shop
and sold candles, crystal, china, and pottery along with fresh and artificial
flowers and wreaths.  Tankersley’s Florist closed
in 1999.

Jeannette and Pat Austin at Austin’s Studio.

This week’s
last photograph is Jeanette
and Pat Austin inside Austin’s Studio on E. Main St.  The Austin family owned and operated Austin’s
Studio in Brevard for 73 years.  The Austins donated hundreds of photographs
and negatives to the archives to serve as a historical record of Transylvania
County.  They have been preserved and scanned
for current and future generations to enjoy. 

Photographs
and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina
Room, Transylvania County Library.  Visit the NC Room during regular
library hours (Monday-Friday) to learn more about our history and see
additional photographs.  For more information, comments or suggestions
contact Marcy at [email protected] or 828-884-1820.