BRISTOL, Va. — Asked Wednesday by the city’s Industrial Development Authority, why locate
a car wash on a prime tract at The Falls, developer Martie Murphy responded, “Why not a car
wash?”
Murphy, a representative of Tidal Wave Auto Spa Properties of Thomaston, Georgia, outlined
the positives of his company and its project. The IDA responded by unanimously approving the
transfer of property.
TWAS Properties will develop its $5 million car wash project on half of lot 20 — a 2.88-acre
tract at the intersection of Lee Highway and Merchant Trace, just across from the Aldi
supermarket. An undisclosed “fast food” restaurant and another business will locate on the
remainder of the tract, according to Murphy.
“We’re very excited. We’ve been working on this for a year, getting restrictions lifted and getting
the city on board with allowing us to do this,” Murphy said after the meeting. “To be honest,
people don’t value car washes. They look at car washes of old with six or so stalls, self-serve and
trash. That’s not the car wash we build. Our car washes are a beautiful business model that are
run well. We’re at the top of the food chain in the car wash industry. We’re going to set the
standards.”
