A Short Story – The Carwash

Benjamin Morrison had been running the carwash for several decades. The sign on the side of the building said, “Benjamin Morrison’s Carwash, Specializing in Packards”. He loved the classic lines of those motor cars! But the Packard Corporation had gone out of business a few years before and had been in decline for quite some time. So the volume of the carwash business had been going down, too. He originally had three bays in the wash building and three bays in the drying/polishing building, but now only one bay in each building was active. That was the center bay in the wash building because it had slightly wider doors that more easily accommodated the newer, wider models, but the left-most bay in the drying building because it had better light from the large window on the side of the building. That necessitated a left-hand jog when going from one building to the next, but his customers did not seem to mind – with the exception of old Mr. Abernathy who didn’t like any change in his routine and who worried about scraping the sides of his beloved ’26 Packard.

But Benjamin was getting older, too. And since he was actively involved in the business, which was all manual labor and individual attention given to each vehicle, he needed to find someone younger to run the business. His son in Arizona had been getting more insistent that he retire and move there and he admitted that the prospect of a warmer climate was getting very appealing. But who to give the business to? His son and family were all in Arizona and his daughter and son-in-law had their own careers in New York City and no children. After much thought, he made a decision.

Jim Smith had been working for Ben for many years. He had the same sort of dedication to the Packard and its classic lines as Ben did. He had started out as a washer back when the business still had all three bays open, and now he was in charge of the drying/polishing bay. He didn’t have a title, but he was essentially a supervisor in the business. When Ben announced that he was going to be retiring to Arizona and wanted to sell the business to Jim for a very nominal price, Jim was a bit shocked. He knew all the aspects of the business, but the generosity of Ben was overwhelming. It took him several seconds to regain his composure before he could accept Ben’s offer.

It didn’t take long for Jim to realize that the business needed a few changes in order for it to survive. While he kept the name in honor of his former boss, he changed the “Specializing in Packards” to “Specializing in Classic Automobiles.” He also upgraded the lights in the center drying bay so customers could drive straight ahead from the washing bay. Mr. Abernathy was most appreciative of this latter change! The increase in business was not dramatic, but it was enough to make it viable. Now collectors of vintage Cadillacs, Fords, Hudsons, and other brands besides Packards could be found going through the carwash. Because the carwash was an entirely manual effort, owners of vehicles with soft tops or open touring cars were much more open to visit Benjamin Morrison’s Carwash. Jim had enough business to keep only one set of bays operational. But at least the business could continue.

It was about 15 years later that the aging process caught up with Jim, too. He was struggling with arthritis in his knees and needed to be able to do something before he was totally disabled. He had kept the business going, but he had not gotten rich from it. He believed that he had enough saved up to retire to Florida where he believed the weather would be more amenable to him. If anything, business was once again heading downhill. But he remained dedicated to providing a useful service to those individuals who owned classic cars and wanted the kind of care and attention to detail that Jim was able to offer. But like Ben before him, Jim was struggling with whom to pass the business along to.

Jim’s one son was well established in his own career in finance and had no interest in following in his father’s footsteps. The best possibility was Jim’s granddaughter, Rebecca. She had worked for Jim off and on for the past several years. Although she was in her 20’s and not yet married, she also did not have a career and had worked at a series of low-paying jobs since finishing high school. But whenever she worked for Jim in between other jobs she seemed to like working on the procession of classic cars that came through the carwash. Jim thought long and hard and then made his decision.

Rebecca, or Becky as she liked to be called, was thrilled with the prospect of having long-term employment at something that she enjoyed doing. It wasn’t long after Jim had turned over the keys and moved south that she put her own stamp on the business. She painted the aging buildings a bright yellow and renamed it as “Becky’s Carwash” with the “Becky’s” in bold black script – she had never totally understood her grandfather’s keeping the business named for a man who had died several years before.

Becky attributed the increase in business to her decision to repaint the buildings and rename the business. During busy summer weekends she even had to open a second set of bays to handle the increased traffic. She hired and trained several local youth during those busy times. She was convinced that her upgrades were the cause of the increase. And while she knew that most of the owners of the classic cars that were her staple were middle-aged men, she would have been shocked to realize that the reason for the increase in traffic was because of Becky herself. Those otherwise car-focused gentlemen just liked the sight of the blond well-proportioned Becky dressed in t-shirt and shorts leaning over their vehicles as she ensured that they were well cleaned, dried and polished.

It was about fifteen years later that Becky had to deal with the decision to sell the business. She was now Rebecca Johnson, having been married to Andy for nearly ten years. He was employed by a large corporation in the nearby city and was being considered for a position in the corporate headquarters in Chicago that came with a substantial promotion. He and Becky had no children to tie them down so the only thing holding them back was the carwash business. Andy was putting a lot of pressure on Becky to sell it so they could move.

Even though the business was once again in a decline, primarily because now in her early 40’s and married Becky was not the draw that she had once been, she still loved the carwash. So it was with reluctance that she agreed to sell. Andy was even willing to help finance the sale if need be. Becky’s choice for a new owner was Jeremy Mills. Jeremy had been one of the local youth who had helped during the summer rushes back several years ago. He also continued to help during his breaks from school. He had graduated from college the previous year with a degree in marketing, but was still unemployed. When he was not out “pounding the pavement” looking for a job, he would continue to help out by relieving other employees when he could. Becky could see a lot of her younger self in Jeremy.

Jeremy was startled when Becky approached him about taking over the business. And when he learned that Andy was willing to not only have her sell it at a pretty reasonable price, but that he was also willing to help finance it by holding the mortgage, he knew that this was his golden opportunity. With the approval of his parents, with whom he still lived, he enthusiastically agreed.

But Jeremy did not immediately try to put his stamp on the business. For several months, he kept the name of the business and spent much of his time trying to find out what his customers wanted. He interviewed all those who came through the bay doors, finding out where they lived, why they patronized the business, what they liked/disliked, what they thought of his pricing, and what changes they would like to have. He also spent two days at the county antique and custom car show – not looking at the cars, although he would have liked to, but talking to the owners, asking if they used a service like his, how far they would be willing to drive, what would convince them to go to a business like his. From this he also received information about a few other, larger car shows on the east coast and he traveled to those as well, asking the same sort of questions. By the start of winter, he had decided what he needed to do to make the business successful.

The new name of the business was not going to be personalized. Rather, he was going to call it “Classic Carwash and Detailing”. The latter part of the name was because he was planning to erect yet a third building to focus on interior detailing. This building would have two bays, one of which would be staffed and the other fully equipped but not staffed. It would also have a small office section on the end. In addition to the staffed offerings, Jeremy planned on offering to rent out bays to classic car owners who liked to do their own work and who did not want others touching “their” car. He was able to get financing for this new building by approaching a local bank where the loan officer was most impressed by Jeremy’s marketing results that showed how much demand there would be for these new offerings, and even letters of commitment from classic car owners who wanted to use those services. Jeremy spent the winter months having the new detailing building erected, cleaning out the bays of the other two buildings – some of which had not been used for a couple of decades, repainting the older buildings a more classic light brown color instead of the now faded yellow, and putting up new signs – covered until the grand re-opening was scheduled in the spring.

Five years later, on a sultry summer day, Jeremy was sitting in his office and thinking about how far he had come. He was still not yet thirty, but he owned his own business – the loans having been paid off the previous year. All eight bays were busy, most with his employees doing the work, but the rest with car owners who preferred to do their own work. Jeremy also had three franchises of “Classic Carwash and Detailing”. The oldest one was in a suburb of Chicago and was partially owned by Andy and Becky Johnson – Andy because he knew a good investment when he saw one, and Becky because … well, she still liked cars. The franchise in Virginia Beach had been going for two years now, and the latest one near Memphis was scheduled to open on Labor Day weekend. Jeremy had already booked his ticket so that he could participate in the opening ceremony.

As he scanned the wall opposite his desk which had pictures and a framed newspaper article of his own grand re-opening, Jeremy thought back to that day. The local newspaper and the local TV station had both sent reporters to cover the event. Even the mayor had stopped by to say a few words and have a photo op. There were also a few special guests. Andy and Becky had flown in from Chicago as an investor and prior owner. And Becky had even convinced her grandfather to fly up from Orlando. Jim was now confined to a wheelchair, but that did not stop him from rolling up to the microphone to offer his comments on the event. But the star of the event was a 1926 Packard. Although Mr. Abernathy had been dead for over 20 years, Jeremy had located Colin Abernathy who had inherited his grandfather’s car when he passed on. Jeremy had presented Colin with a complementary “Gold Gloves Special” which included a carwash, polishing, and thorough interior detailing. After all, it was partly that car which had inspired the start of the business so many years ago – “Benjamin Morrison’s Carwash, Specializing in Packards”!