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Vintage Toronto Ads: A Clean Gala Opening
Source: the Weston Times and Guide, October 20, 1960.
Despite the plethora of attractions the proprietors of Chester Drive-In Cleaners secured for the grand opening of their modern premises in the south end of Weston, it’s possible that terming the festivities as a “gala” may have been a last-minute decision. They might have needed an extra word to hide the mess created by the charming yet clumsy majorette in this ad after she accidentally popped the balloon beside the banner.
We haven’t determined who “Dale” was. Perhaps he or she was a local florist, the chief dry cleaner, or a neighbourhood musician specializing in pleasant, inoffensive music. Whoever “Dale” was, we imagine anyone who still has a carefully pressed and preserved bouquet of roses bearing his/her signature owns a priceless memento of that Saturday morning.
Half a century later, the structure still occupies 1708 Weston Road. Among its current tenants are a medical rehab clinic, a church, and a cheque casher. A different dry cleaner was among the occupants when Google Maps snapped a photo, but has since vacated the premises.