Jesse Wellen

3319 Mt. Diablo Boulevard ~ (925) 283-1190

There is a wooden platform at Lafayette Car Wash that kids can use to get a better view of the undeniably fascinating process of a mechanical car wash. My husband stood on this platform when he was in grammar school, our kids grew up begging to see the show and someday perhaps our grandchildren will be mesmerized by the same twirling soap and brushes that have been the domain of Jesse Wellen for over 30 years.

Jesse first came west from his home state of New York during the Summer of Love and worked for Xerox. He later became a real estate developer, renovating apartments until 1990, when he and a partner found a mistreated, downtrodden car wash for sale and decided to maximize its potential. When Jesse renovated the car wash and launched comprehensive services, including paint, windshield and small dent repair, he soon began servicing over 82,000 cars a year.