Skip to main content

Sister act

At JJ’s Express Car Wash & Oil Change, Jacoba and Jamille Taylor amplify the car wash experience with carnival-like vibe.
Tom Venetis head shot
JJ's Car Wash Jamille and Jacoba Taylor
Sisters Jamille (left) and Jacoba Taylor opened the first JJ's Express Car Wash & Oil Change in 2021.

A car wash is traditionally a mundane affair.

A customer takes their vehicle to a car wash, it is guided into the tunnel, the car gets washed and dried, then the customer drives away hopefully satisfied with the wash, but likely not thinking any more about it until they decide to bring their car for another wash. 

Sisters Jacoba and Jamille Taylor, owners and operators of JJ’s Express Car Wash & Oil Change in Saskatoon, Sask., are aiming to change that by making the car wash—and oil change—friendly and fun. 

That seems an unlikely combination, but it should not be a surprise. The sisters learned a lot from their mom and dad. Dad worked in the concrete business and mom worked the carnival circuit and managed three booths around Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. They helped their mom in the summers at the booths, doing everything from the day-to-day operations, to helping serve food and shaved ice. It was an exciting opportunity for two early teenage kids.

“We travelled around the exhibition circuit with mom,” says Jacoba, who, along with her sister, chuckle about the fun they had as kids being ‘carnies.’ In fact, the excitement and fun of working the circuit with their mom helped them understand how important it is to inject some fun into their business.

Embarking on a new business adventure

They launched their car wash after both found themselves back home after university and without work during the COVID epidemic and lockdowns. 

Jamille studied urban planning and marketing management, while Jacoba has a degree in kinesiology and psychology—the duo proceeded to learn all they could about the business before breaking ground on their first location. 

When they opened in 2021at 803 51st St. in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, the operation stood out from its competition with its carnival ride atmosphere.

READ:  OCTANE EXCLUSIVE: How to start a car wash

Advertisement - article continues below
Advertisement
JJs Express Oil Change
JJ's Express Oil Change offers a fast and friendly oil change service that removes the confusion and high-pressure sales experienced in many quick change operations.

Setting the tone with chemicals and lights 

When entering, a vehicle owner has their car washed with scented and coloured soaps (soap and chemicals from Prestige Chemical) and enjoys a light show that can change depending on the season: For example, at Christmas, the lights are green and red for a festive feel; they switch things up to orange at Halloween; and for Valentine’s Day, the sisters offer a pink, red and white ambience.

“We loved travelling about the exhibitions with Mom and we liked the fun lights, the coloured and scented soaps we came across and the rides and everything,” Jacoba says. “It is something we grew up with and enjoyed, so we wanted to add something like that to a car wash, add a twist to what is too often the same boring car wash you come across. We wanted something fun and exciting.”

You can see this fun and enjoyment on their social media feeds, where employees create Tik Tok videos and other videos to give a behind-the-scenes look at how the car wash operates and what goes into an oil change.

Investing in the right equipment

One reason they can add this fun element is that the location does not use the more traditional pulley system for moving a vehicle through a wash. A pulley system uses a chain system to grab a vehicle’s wheels and pull the vehicle along. Instead, Jacoba and Jamille invested in a Duro Trac conveyor system from MCE Inc. Staff guide the vehicle owner onto the conveyor and the system uses plastic chains, which move vehicles (and a greater number of vehicles at a time) more efficiently, while eliminating the need for tire guide rails. As a bonus, all the surface area of the wheels are exposed and cleaned during a wash. And because the system uses plastic chains, they are better able to handle the environments of a car wash and operate in the kind of sub-zero temperatures experienced in Saskatchewan during the winter months. 

“That was a big factor for us,” says Jacoba. “Here in Saskatchewan, we can get temperatures that dip down to minus 35 to 40 degrees, and we need to be able to operate during such cold weather.”

Jamille explains that the conveyor system also worked better with the design of their car wash, which was built using precast concrete that provides greater protection from the elements; keeps warmth inside during winter months; and allows for a larger footprint so that there’s more room for staff to work.

Protection from the cold is enhanced by the folding doors provided by Findoor, which are used at the inaugural site, as well as a second car wash and oil change location, which opened in December 2023 at 2726 Lorne Ave. These sideways opening doors provide greater protection from the cold and are more suited for work environments where there is moisture and water.

JJ's Express Vacuums

Expanding the business model

While having an oil change facility alongside a car wash might seem to some unusual, as they are two distinct types of businesses, but the sisters see a synergy. They say the same principles that they use to operate their car wash business—providing a high-quality, customer focused service that make the car wash something that can be used often and with no hick-ups for the customer, such as monthly car wash memberships and touch-free debit and credit card payments—is the same for an oil change.

No appointment is needed. One simply rolls up to the oil change facilities, located on the same lots as the car wash, and trained technicians will do a complete oil change, using Castrol oil and Wix filters, while one waits. 

“With every oil change, you also get a free car wash, so it gives someone who just comes in for an oil change a chance to try our car wash,” Jacoba adds. “We want to provide a ‘no BS’ oil change. Our employees are there to provide you with a high-quality service and they will make suggestions for other services, only if you need them. They are not there to push things onto you, as some other places often do.”

Recently, the sisters added an Express Interior Clean service to the operations. While not a full detailing service, the 20-minute express service involves a technician doing a thorough vacuum of the vehicle, cleaning all windows, door jams, mats, panels, vehicle dashboard, added vinyl and leather protection and detailing of the tires.

With two sites now up and running, the sisters are busy, but the fun never stops. 

X
This ad will auto-close in 10 seconds