Locally owned car washes hold their own amid corporate boom

Locally owned car washes hold their own amid corporate boom

At Perry’s Service and Towing on University Avenue in Des Moines, a car glides through the wash while its owner relaxes in the driver’s seat, coffee in hand. For decades, drivers would have stepped out to scrub by hand. Now, machines do the work, and the self-service car wash is just one part of a business that has served the community for more than 50 years. Across the Des Moines metro, new car washes seem to be popping up on nearly every major…