Vermilion Car Wash & Robo-Wash

Washing a car by hand is one of those tasks that you either love or hate.

Over the years, there have been cars that I lovingly took care of; washing them regularly, meticulously cleaning off each splattered bug with Bug & Tar Remover, and applying a good coat of Turtle Wax each fall. But then there were also cars that I had no emotional attachment to, that I just took through the car wash when needed. (That’s the situation now, especially since I don’t have a driveway.)

Which brings me to the first subject of today’s post, the Grand Opening of the Vermilion Car Wash. The ad above appeared in the Vermilion Photojournal on July 15, 1964.

The Grand Opening specials were pretty nice. “Every 10th car washed FREE!” notes the ad. The first 20 cars each day received a free gift as well.

I’m not sure how long the car wash business lasted. But the compact building and great location at 5329 Liberty Avenue has been a good home for the current occupant, Domino’s Pizza.

****

I’ve done several posts on area car wash establishments, including the Grand Opening of Ace Car Wash in March 1956; and the Grand Opening of Robo-Wash in March 1966.

And speaking of Robo-Wash, here’s a nice photo of the facility on Colorado Avenue, featured in one of those classic Journal business page ‘articles.’ It appeared in the paper on July 15, 1968.

And courtesy of Google Maps, here’s a “now” view of the building, currently the home of Ardick Seafood.