Jacksonville car wash owner decides to create his own brand.
Those waiting for Goo-Goo Express 3 Minute Car Wash to open near St. Johns Town Center can switch their expectations to a different brand – Scrubbles.
Todd Buckner, the former Florida and South Georgia franchisee for Goo-Goo, said the international car wash company IMO bought Goo-Goo corporate in the summer.
It also bought his five Goo-Goo franchise locations in Georgia and Lake City in a deal completed last week. Those will remain operating as Goo-Goo.
Because of the Goo-Goo sale, Buckner decided to brand his own Scrubbles 3 Minute Express Wash concept and incorporate a little car — Scrubby— into the logo.
“I came out of the Goo-Goo world into my own,” he said. “We are going to operate our own brand in Jacksonville.”
With a Goo-Goo approved for construction at The Crossing at Town Center at Gate and Town Center parkways, Buckner rebranded the location as Scrubbles and has letters of intent to lease three more sites.
The Crossing site is a ground lease.
The next three locations are one along Atlantic Boulevard in the Beaches area and two in Clay County in the Fleming Island area and along Blanding Boulevard north of Middleburg.
A fifth site is in negotiation, he said.
Buckner said he seeks convenience for customers, especially those that buy memberships, to access the car washes where they live and work.
Buckner plans to open in late February at The Crossing. He said he knew the deal with IMO was pending, so he delayed ordering the Jacksonville signage to coincide with the closing.
Buckner said the color scheme is changing from Goo-Goo’s red and yellow to blue, silver and red.
Buckner is based in Tifton, Georgia. His five Goo-Goo car washes were in Tifton, Cordele, Douglas and Valdosta, Georgia. His Florida location was in Lake City.
Professional Carwashing & Detailing reported on carwash.com in August that IMO Car Wash Group, a privately owned British company, bought Goo-Goo.
Quoting the ledger-enquirer.com news site, the car wash trade publication said Columbus, Georgia-based Goo-Goo was operated by the same family since 1972.
It reported that Goo-Goo partners Lamar Beck, Roger Beck and Darren Bradham did not comment about the sale.
Phil Wise, regional vice president of operations for IMO and former COO for Goo-Goo, said locations would remain the same and gift cards and promotions would be honored.
As for the Goo-Goo name, long a source of curiosity, the report said Lamar Beck took over an Anniston, Alabama-based car wash company in 1970 that his father founded more than 25 years earlier and bought the Goo-Goo Car Wash in Columbus in 1972.
The Goo-Goo car wash was on the site of a former Columbus restaurant called Goo-Goo. That name originated from 1930s comedy radio broadcasts that featured a ventriloquist who ended his shows asking, “Wanna buy a duck?” with a duck that replied, “goo goo.”
At the time of the IMO sale, Goo-Goo had 53 express locations in seven states, including Florida. Eight self-serve car washes remained with the three partners, the report said.
The report said IMO has about 840 car washes in 15 countries.
In November 2016, Buckner anticipated the Town Center location would open by summer, but that was before the Goo-Goo acquisition.
He said Wednesday that Scrubbles would continue with his plans to honor law enforcement with year-round perks. Buckner said Scrubbles will provide one free basic car wash each week for vehicles assigned to police, patrol and other officers.
The scrubblesexpresswash.com site describes Scrubbles as an automated tunnel car wash “with state-of-the-art equipment to give your car the cleanest wash possible.”
The site says it offers self-serve and full-serve options.
Scrubbles will feature an express wash tunnel in which drivers remain in their vehicle as it is washed in three minutes. There will be free vacuums.
Prices range from $5 for a Scrubby’s Basic to $30 for the Scrubby’s Xtreme, which includes a hand towel-dried exterior.
Buckner seeks employees and asks candidates to find an application at the website.
The city issued four sign permits Dec. 22 for Scrubbles. A monument sign is pending.
Construction and other permits issued since March total almost $2 million. The city issued the construction permit for the 4,455-square-foot car wash in June. It was built at 5064 Weebers Crossing Drive north of Black Creek Outfitters.
