How many car washes are there in the Myrtle Beach, SC area? We checked Google Maps
Correction: The name of Mako Express Car Wash Co-founder Chris Daniels was incorrect in an earlier version of this story. (Updated: 9:50 a.m. 11/27/2023)
Whether you need one or not, you’ve probably seen a car wash while driving around the Myrtle Beach area.
Some offer self-service, while others are large tunnels that provide an array of different washes, but regardless of where you go to clean your car, you have many options in the greater Horry County area.
The Sun News used Google Maps to determine how many car washes are currently open in Horry County. Stipulations included the car wash needing a physical address; thus, businesses without one did not count. Car washing also had to be the business’s primary focus, therefore excluding car detailing services, although many offer washes as part of their package.
Based on search results from Google Maps, The Sun News found at least 42 car washes in the Horry County area. Myrtle Beach had the most with 20, while Conway was second with seven. The most prominent company throughout the Grand Strand is Zips Car Wash, as the business has nine locations along the Grand Strand, while Detrick’s Car Wash and Sandlapper Carwash had the second most with three each.
The United States Census Bureau tracks how many people commute to work via its American Community Survey. Its 2022 estimates showed that more than 127 thousand workers 16 years or older drove to work in a car, truck or van by themselves.
For context, there’s a car wash in Horry County for every 3,032 Grand Strand commuter who drives a vehicle to work. But the Myrtle Beach, S.C. area is about to see even more car washes enter the market. The Sun News has reported on at least seven car washes that have recently posted signage or begun construction in Horry County.
The car wash business has been active in recent years, too. In 2022, Zips Car Wash acquired three locations from Detrick’s Car Wash and five from Turbo Jet Express Car Wash, as well as four more in the Hilton Head, S.C. market, according to a press release.
The question now is, why are there so many?
The growth could be related to a national trend. The International Carwash Association reported in April 2023 that the density of car washes would probably grow, and the old rule of a car was every five miles was no longer applicable.
One of the many car wash businesses entering the Myrtle Beach area is Mako Express Car Wash, opening two in Horry County. Named after the Mako shark, the fastest shark on the planet, the new brand plans to open six locations in the Southeast and Ohio.
Chris Daniels co-founded Mako Express Car Wash with his business partner John McLendon. Both are University of South Carolina alums, and Daniels said he previously worked in commercial development for car washes. He added that if everything goes to plan, the company plans to open in August or September 2024.
“My family lives up over the border in coastal North Carolina, and so, Myrtle Beach is a place that, that we hold close to our hearts,” Daniels said. “We were really excited to be there and start getting to work.”
Mako expects to invest more than five million into all its locations, including its Myrtle Beach and Conway locations. Daniels said there’s been a broader boom in the car wash industry, specifically the express car wash model that started in 2017-18, he said.
“There’s a lot of factors that make it an attractive business right now. But obviously, labor is a challenge for a lot of businesses right now, and it’s not a super labor-intensive business,” he added. “Mako specifically, we have a real emphasis on operations and customer service.”
Daniels also said that some private equity firms entered the market, too. Although the current economy has slowed interest in the market, the car wash industry is an attractive business model.
“There was a lot of fragmentation. It’s not like fast food restaurants where there’s the solidified players entering the space is more of a challenge,” Daniels added. “So the fragmentation that existed in the car wash space where Mom and Pop players could get in and could make a name for themselves is another attractive factor.”
Myrtle Beach might be seeing an uptick in car washes because the area is already seeing rapid economic growth as well as the broader Sun Belt, he said.
Coupled with the salty air, Myrtle Beach is a prime market target for new car washes; the “golden rule” in the area is car washes are about three miles from fellow competitors. In his opinion, the recent uptick in new car washes resulted from that boom from 2017-18.
“The apex of the hype was like the end of 2021, and so there’s a ton of deal flow, and a ton of people were just full throttle trying to put up as many as they could during that time,” Daniels said. “A lot of that inventory is just now over the last six months, and up until today, in the coming few months, there’s still inventory coming on online.”
