EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA — A large, themed carwash broke ground here, and plans call for the site to be the flagship location of a North American chain, the Edmonton Journal reported.
The Aug. 29 story interviewed owner and entrepreneur Sylvain Blouin. He said the Rock-N-Wash carwash will have a 1957 Chevy with a life-size Elvis in it above the entrance. Signage will include a colorful jukebox, and the interior will have a montage to entertainment icons like James Dean, Marilyn Monroe and James Brown.
The building and equipment will cost $4.8 million, and the wash will feature three lines for carwashing. The location will feature a high-end frictionless conveyor, drive-thru wash bays and two truck and RV bays with four sani dumps.
Blouin wanted a business that would make him happy for the rest of his life. “I thought car washes were antiquated, with some still using 1950s technology and using tokens and time cards and sandwich boards for advertising,” he said in the story.
The location on 50th Street and Whitemud Drive was chosen by Blouin because of its high traffic counts. Even so, a loan for the new business was denied by three banks before a construction loan was approved and private equity was raised.
