I remember this shop at 5616 Connecticut Avenue NW next to the Avalon Theater, just two blocks south of Chevy Chase Circle.

Elite Laundry was one of those delivery laundry services with several locations around the city. I found an old Washington Post ad indicating this one was 5616 Connecticut Avenue NW (between the Avalon Theatre and Magruder's grocery store just south of Chevy Chase Circle). The address now belongs to this Subway sandwich shop, but it doesn't look to be the same building.

[The building may well be gone. Or it might still exist, but with a different street number. - Dave]

At my father's laundry, he supplied lists for the customer to enter the number of the items that were individually listed. There was also a sign that said that read something like "If contents list was not included with bundle, our count must be considered correct." Another sign he had said "Not Responsible for Goods left over 30 Days." Dad had a back storage room with what appeared to be hundreds of parcels. When I asked him about it he said they were unclaimed packages, some of which were years old. I asked him about the sign and he said that legally he had to hold the goods for seven years and a day and then advertise that he was disposing of them

Might have afforded them more appealing window decor.

As neat and clean as this shop is overall, the only reason I can think of for that crooked "Elite Laundry Co" sign in the window is because whoever dusted the area bumped it. And how about the ghost fotog and his tripod? Re the "Drop package" door, unlike car dealerships now where after-hours dropoff service provides a key envelope where you write your instructions, I see nothing here for the customer to "Write Name Plainly" on what package? Maybe customers were given a stash of such material to keep at home. A mystery buried in time.

At first glance, the reflection in the window looks like a passerby with a cane, however, a closer look reveals the photographer and his tripod. I would imagine that is rare thing for a professional photographer to do.

We've seen another part of the Elite empire here. A franchised business do you think?

I presume that meant that the patron dropped off their dry cleaning, rather then Elite having to come to them?

[I don't think so. "Self service" might be the wet-wash price -- you or your maid does the drying and ironing. - Dave]

Ha! That does make more sense, 'fits' the wording as well, thanks! HA!