One way to recognize that Maynard is a real town as opposed to a bedroom community is its Laundromats. Maynard has two. Laundromats presuppose a community in which people’s economic levels vary widely. People who open laundromats assume that not every individual has a private or even a residential washer and dryer.

Besides allowing people access to clean clothes, laundromats provide social contact. When I took this picture of the Shield Laundromat and Dry Cleaner, two men were inside washing their clothes. They were chatting with each other, and they happily included me in the conversation when I appeared with my camera. They’re not in the picture only because they were standing right behind me looking at what I was shooting .

Many of Maynard’s neighboring towns do not have laundromats. There, people live in private homes, in condominiums, or in modern apartment complexes with laundry rooms. Those who do not fit into one of these categories have a problem, unless they are wealthy enough to drop their clothes at a laundry service.