Picture freshly laundered clothes neatly packaged. This scene is from 1945 at Nelson’s Laundries Ltd. Drivers exchanged these packages for dirty laundry. This was Nelson’s Laundries Ltd’s give-and-take service. It was a unique system for subscribing households.
Nelson’s Laundries Ltd began in 1931. Nels Nelson a man with diverse interests founded it. His interests included brewing and farming. The company took over a Mission-style building. This building was at 7th Avenue and Cambie Street. The Metropolitan Laundry and Dry Cleaners Ltd had operated there previously.
The building itself was quite impressive. It was constructed in 1928. It showcased the Mission Style architecture popular at the time. The building combined a reinforced concrete frame and a wooden roof. It housed state-of-the-art laundry equipment.
In 1939 A B Christopher and his associates bought the business from Nelson. Nelson’s Laundries Ltd expanded throughout the 1950s and 60s. They purchased other laundries. This included Pioneer Laundry. Nelson’s became the largest cleaning company in the Lower Mainland. They relocated in 1964 to Pioneer Laundry’s old site on 5 West 4th Avenue.
Steiner Canada Ltd acquired Nelson’s in 1968. It became part of Steiner American Corporation Alsco. This company still operates from the same West 4th Avenue location today. Nelson’s Laundries legacy continues. Their innovative give-and-take service and impressive building remain a part of Vancouver’s history. It’s a testament to entrepreneurial spirit and innovation. It shows the evolution of the laundry business in Vancouver.