Bright Lights, Big Carwash
Arizona full-serve goes above and beyond the ordinary
By Tracy Charuhas
 Mike Lawson (left) and Lance Fischer. |
Modern Car Care began following the construction of Every Little Detail Car Spa in the October 2002 issue.
For months, wide-eyed Tucson, Ariz., residents passed by the future site of Every Little Detail Car Spa in anticipation of opening day. Sure, people were looking forward to the handwashing, detailing services and fast lubes their cars would receive once the sprawling site opened, but there was more to their excitement than just the promise of a clean, shiny car.
One look at the innovative architecture of the 16,000-square-foot building and the sleek style of the 118-foot tunnel, and people knew their vehicles would be getting the car's equivalent of a luxurious spa getaway. And from the looks of the industrial-style building, with its cement block walls and bright red trim, the wash would offer customers a unique getaway of their own.
Every Little Detail, a $3.1 million project, washed its first car on March 13. That day, the normally dry desert town looked like it might get some rain, but that didn't stop the 120-plus customers from bringing their cars in for a wash and detail.
Owner Lance Fischer says his favorite part of the new wash is watching the cars go through the tunnel, which is equipped with JC Chemtech and Hanna Carwash Systems equipment.
"You should see the foam being rinsed off the car. It's like a laser is taking it off," Fischer says.
While being pulled through the tunnel, cars receive a gentle handwash by team members with mitts. Once the car passes through the dryer, it's driven to the detailing area.
While their cars are being cared for, customers can visit the gift shop and grab a drink at the coffee bar. They can also shop for auto accessories, greeting cards and snacks. Patrons who don't like being parted from their cars for too long can watch the washing process through tall windows that provide a perfect view of the tunnel.
"We wanted to take a raw piece of dirt and try to make everything flow and be as functional as possible," he says.
Helping Fischer make sure everything flows well is managing partner Mike Lawson, who joined the team in October 2002, and detail manager Mike Felix, who has worked with Fischer for the last 10 years.
"I've hired the best management team," Fischer says, adding that the team is what will make the new location a success.
Some unique features at Every Little Detail include an underground vacuum system, three 42-inch TVs in the gift shop showing Direct TV and views of the carwash and a metal gargoyle with fiber optic eyes, who is perched just above the building entrance. The spacious gift shop has a large metal and neon Car Spa sign, high ceilings, tall windows and metal shelving. The cashier, who is situated in the middle of the gift shop, has full view of the tunnel and the gift shop.
Fischer says he wanted this site to be unlike any other carwash in the country, and it certainly is. Anticipation of the carwash was so great that one carwash operator in Japan flew to Arizona to see the location for himself.
Just 10 years ago, Fischer opened his first business--a limousine company. In addition to the two limos, Fischer and Felix also had detailing equipment, including a steam cleaner and a buffer. The detailing end of the business grew as fast as the limo service, and in 1995 they began renting the carwash Fischer now owns. In 1998, he bought the carwash, but even before the ink on the deed dried, Fischer was already thinking about building a new site from the ground up.
Assembling a new management team in anticipation of the new carwash has not only prepared the new site for business but has also helped increase the car count at the original location.
"We've been able to implement a lot of new procedures that have allowed that store to be more profitable," Lawson says.
The first location, which Fischer remodeled during construction of the new facility, is 15 miles from the new site. With a population of nearly 800,000 people and sunny weather 360 days a year, Tucson seems like the perfect place to own a carwash. Competition for Every Little Detail includes about 15 other carwashes, but Fischer's two locations are the only hand carwashes in town.
While it always takes time for a new wash to build up its customer base, Lawson says he expects the new location to wash at least 10,000 cars per month by the end of the year.
The wow factor
Much of the credit for the look of the facility can be given to designer Marc Soloway. Every Little Detail was Soloway's first carwash, but this fact brought a fresh perspective to the building design.
"He really built something so far beyond anything I had ever seen," Fischer says. "It was not cookie cutter."
Fischer knew he wanted to use cement block and had an idea of how he wanted the wash laid out, but he says he left the building design up to Soloway. Lawson says the facility's design will stand the test of time.
"It's state-of-the-art, but it also has an industrial-type look. It's very simple, but it's also elegant," Lawson says.
Before customers even get to the building, they encounter the carwash's 25-foot-high monument sign. The sign itself was a victory for Fischer, since the city of Tucson doesn't normally allow signs of that size. However, Fischer convinced city officials that the grand building needed to be complemented by equally grand signage and they granted him a variance. At night, the red sign glows with neon lights.
Prices at Every Little Detail are reasonable--the Basic wash is $7.99, the Super is $11.99, the Deluxe is $14.99 and the Luxury wash is $19.99. The carwash offers a wide variety of detailing services, including a complete detail for $150 and clay process for $200. Customers with dings or dents in their cars can get them fixed at Dent Busters, and those with cracked or chipped windshields can get them repaired at Desert Auto Glass. Both businesses rent space from Every Little Detail. The six-bay Valvoline fast lube is another on-site profit center.
The new location will serve as a prototype for Fischer's future carwashes. Plans are in the works to develop three more locations in Arizona in the next year. These new locations will not only take on the look of the new site but will provide the customer service and quality that customers have come to expect from Every Little Detail.
If you're ever in Tucson, don't miss the chance to see one of the country's most unique carwashes.