Glenside’s Clean Machine Car Wash & Detail Center is approaching the half-century mark, and for co-owners Jerry and Randy Goldstein, 1976 is a year worth remembering.

The business was the brainchild of their late father, Mr. Elliott Goldstein, and it’s been owned and operated by the same family ever since.

“When we first started, we were a car wash and gas station,” Jerry said. “We’re on a side street where there isn’t much traffic. To get people to find us, my dad established himself as the cheapest gas station. In the late ’70s and early ’80s, we were the biggest seller of gasoline in the state of Pennsylvania. My dad discounted the gas to get people to come by, and it helped him build up the car wash.”

The pumps were taken out in 1989, and clever marketing strategies, including a monthly membership, have kept Clean Machine going strong.

“The membership is the most successful offer we’ve ever made since opening. It’s been wildly popular throughout Glenside,” Jerry said. “Our philosophy is the more value you can give out, the more value you’ll get back. I think we were the first in the area to offer it.”

The offer launched 10 years ago, and the price is still the same.

“Folks really seem to like it. For as little as $20, you can wash your car every day if you like, multiple times,” he said.

“For the customer, it really weather-proofs their purchase. If your car gets dirty, you can turn around and get it washed the next day. You can’t get ripped off by the weather, pollen, or a bird with it,” Jerry said.

Vacuum stations remain pro bono, and the car wash’s psychedelic LED lights have added spice to the mostly residential Glenside Avenue since they were first installed in 2019.

“The LEDs were such a big hit during Covid, and our car wash almost became an amusement outing for families. Kids loved it, and it was something to get the family out of the house,” Jerry said.

Upgrades to Clean Machine’s technology have made visits faster and easier for customers and staff alike.

“We get you in and get you out really quickly. It’s like the Sam’s Club of carwashes,” he said. “We love seeing returning customers every day.”

If you’ve passed through the washing station, you may have noticed the on-site “El Cigar Shop,” loosely named after Mr. Goldstein, who passed away in 2019.

“We remodeled about 15 years ago, and we had this extra space in the front. My dad was an avid cigar smoker, and his two favorite shops had closed. He decided to open a cigar shop and named it ‘The Cigar Shop.’ My brother and I ran it after he moved to Florida, and we changed the name to play on my dad’s name. We have a partner, Larry Rhoads, who’s our cigar guru,” Jerry said. “We try to carry big names and little brands. We do online sales and we ship across the country. Our bread-and-butter is the local golfing community.”

“He definitely had a vision for marketing, and he was never afraid to take chances. In the late ’70s, there was something called Super Saturday in Glenside. He was on the committee that brought it to life, and it used to be held on our grounds. It had dunk tanks, rides, Eagles cheerleaders, and got so big that it had to be moved to a park,” Jerry said. “I’d love to bring it back. I have such cool memories of that.”

For more on Clean Machine Car Wash & Detail Center, you can visit their Facebook page and website. For more on El Cigar Shop, you can visit this website.

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