Harold N. Robinson opened his Seminole Laundry at 4904 Florida Ave. in 1932, in Seminole Heights, as the name might imply. It was a small building and touted as one of the most modern laundries for its size and floor space. Robinson designed the building with maximum ventilation for the comfort of his employees and had a drive-through area capable of handling 8 to 10 cars at a time. Before opening his own place, he spent six years working for another large laundry service. In 1942, he remodeled the building adding the Art Deco features seen in the Robertson and Fresh photograph.

In 1946, Donald Olson and Dalbert Claridge partnered and purchased the laundry and ran it until Olsen’s son Donald took over, running it until the mid-1970s. After closing, the building housed several businesses, including a gymnasium and the Covivant Art Gallery, along with Tampa Street Market, which opened in the small space once used for storage.

Prior to running Olsen’d Air Cooled, Donald joined his Uncle Bob in his business, Olsen’s Engine Exchange, in the same neighborhood upon returning from military service. He opened Olsen’s Aircooled VW Service in the former laundry building around 2000. The business is still going today, selling, servicing, and restoring primarily Volkswagens. The iconic clock and awning with the laundry name was blown down in a storm in 1969.

In 2011, two former employees of the Tampa record store Vinyl Fever opened Microgroove, an Indy record shop buying and selling new and used vinyl along with used CDs and cassettes in the 625-square-foot space that once housed the market. Cappy’s Pizza, a Seminole Height staple since 2006, also owned by Olsen, can be seen to the north of Microgroove.

© Chip Weiner 2023. All rights reserved