TENNERTON – The owners of a new car wash that’s opening here in Upshur County pledge their business will get your vehicle clean when they open early next year.
The rumors are true: A new car wash called B-U Time to Shine is under construction in the lot along Route 20 South that previously housed the dilapidated Long John Silver’s restaurant structure. Business partners Tim Bragg, Chad Thropp and Pamela Thropp, collectively known as TPC Property Development, have confirmed they are building a brand-new soft-gloss/soft-touch car wash across from Kroger in the space.
Thropp explained a soft-gloss car wash is a type of soft-touch car wash that scans and profiles your vehicle to maximize wash performance. He said the business venture was born out of a conversation he and Bragg had about the quality of service supplied by other area car washes.
“We were just talking about how the car washes in town are older and often don’t get your vehicle as clean as it could be, so we thought this would be an ideal location: right across the street from Kroger, where there’s a gas station going in,” Thropp said Tuesday.
(In a press release earlier this year when Kroger announced its grand re-opening, the company said it “planned to open a fuel center” at its Skyline Plaza location in Tennerton.)
While Thropp owns Brothers Property Management, Bragg heads up Septic Solutions & Services.
“We’re just a couple of small business owners who decided to get into something a little extra,” Thropp said. “There’s going to be two soft-touch automatic car washes – two bays – and while it might cost a little more, the big advantage is, it gets your vehicle clean.”
That’s because the latest and newest technology is infused into this automatic car wash facility with thorough coverage throughout the entire wash process, Thropp said. In addition, the commercial detergents, solutions and waxes that will be used during the cycle are cutting-edge and second-to-none in the industry, he added. Wash times will be three-and-a-half minutes to five minutes, depending on the wash package selected.
Another plus? Customers won’t have to line up on the road to wait for their turn to transform their soiled vehicle into a spic-and-span ride they can take pride in. TPC Property Development said the new facility will service everyday cars as well as SUVs and pick-up trucks. However, trucks, Jeeps and duallys (dual rear-wheel trucks) that are lifted will not be able to utilize the wash due to height and width restrictions.
“What’s different about this is we actually have plenty of room to line the cars up on the lot,” Thropp said. “People will come in from the back side of the building and when they’re done, they can exit directly out onto Route 20.”
B-U Time to Shine will be outfitted in the authentic blue-and-white colors to display Buckhannon-Upshur Buccaneer pride, Thropp explained.
“We’re going with the community colors of the schools: the Buckhannon blue-and-white like our sports teams,” he said. “We’re going to be a very community-oriented business, and our main thrust is obviously to give you the cleanest car that we can possibly give you.”
B-U Time to Shine will function as a self-run car wash but will be serviced on a daily basis.
“We are also talking about adding a few other seasonal services in the spring as well,” Thropp said.
TPC Property Development is hopeful that the new car wash will open to customers in early 2022.
According to records in the Upshur County Clerk’s office, J-Ten Investments out of Marietta, Georgia had owned the property since 2002 and conveyed it to TPC Property Development this year, in July of 2021. Demolition of the Long John Silver’s structure got underway in early September.
