I remember seeing the Norge Village "ball" above a laundromat location in Redondo Beach, CA but always drove by it, I don't remember ever stopping in (or if we did stop, I was so young I can't remember what was inside).  This one lasted into the mid 80's if I remember correctly.   Last time I drove by there (a few years ago) the Norge Village ball was still up there and looking really tired, but building is one of those $1 stores now.

I found the photo below during a Google search.

The link below is a thread from the archives I found while doing a Google search (ironically enough) for Norge Village photos.

Kevin

Somebody posted a Norge Village photo here not long ago.  I think it may have even been one that's still operating, but presumably without Norges anymore.

During my Google search I discovered there is a dry cleaners in Long Beach, Ca still using the Norge Village name with the "Norge Village Ball" is still on the pole above the building.   However I think it's a regular full service dry cleaners.

Kevin

Both grandmothers practically lived in their housedresses unless like Launderess said, they had to run errands or whatnot.  Mom ditched the housedress when she reentered the workforce in 1978.  After that it was slacks and a loose fitting top.

My grandmother wore those dresses all the time around the house, but that was the only place.  She wouldn't even go up to the local store for a few items without changing.

Hey Alex, where did you find this ad??   This was in my "stomping grounds" just 5.5 miles from where I grew up!

Kevin

There's a group about Norge Balls on Flickr

There was a "sewing hall" in the 60's and 70's in Easley, SC named Swirl.  Along with children's wear, they made these same type of housedresses.  Their brand name for these housedresses was "Model's Coats."  My Mama had several of these when I was just a small child.  Everyone around here knew what a Model's Coat was.  In some of the locally owned department stores they would have a whole display dedicated to these Model's Coats.  When my sister, Betty, was married in 1964, an older lady from the church gave her a "Model's Coat" for shower gift.  This made Betty mad as heck!  Mama tried to explain this wasn't meant as an insult but as a nice jesture.  I don't know what ever happed to that model's coat!  In the early 70's my Mama discovered pants and both her girdle and all of her Model's Coats went into the rummage bin!   It was unusually hot in 1981 when my Mama retired from work.  My father refused to let her turn on the AC as he said it hurt this rhumatoid arthritis too much.  Anyway, Mama went to the new Wal-Mart store in Easley and bought up a bunch of beautifully printed cotton fabric and began making her own housedresses on her new Singer Athena sewing machine (she bought for herself as a retirement present).  Once again Mama began wearing housedresses around the house that summer and several seasons afterward.  But God forbid!  If Mama was going anywhere or if anyone was coming over to the house Mama would yank that dress off and put her pants and blouse back on!       Although the Easley Swirl plant closed many years ago you can still purchase Swirl Model's Coats.  I guess, like everything else, they are made in China or somewhere else.  Click on the picture for more model's coats.

Love those old ads, we only had Norge Villages never had any RCA Whirlpool Polly Clean Centers, or was that Poly? Anyway those print ads for both are funny when you see them, don't know about the rest of you but growing up I never saw any women or men dressed in suits in a laundromat (oops that's Westinghouse?)