For multiple decades, many cars have pulled up to the southwest corner of Barkley and Martway streets in Mission and left much cleaner than when they came.
The property’s history as a car wash dates back to the 1980s. It has operated under many different names and owners — most recently including Diamond Finish, which closed at the site in November 2025.
Now, the owners of Shawnee-based Royal Shine Car Wash are in the process of turning the 10,000-square-foot property into something of their own. This one, they hope, will offer something a little different from its predecessors at the site.
“We get a lot of people driving through here as we’re under(going) the remodel — ones that have been coming here for 30-plus years — that are excited to see some new life in it,” co-owner Alex Glenn said about the property. “I think it’s going to be nice for the customers that have been coming for a long time to have something state of the art, new and clean with all new features.”
Following construction, the new car wash aims to open in Mission in early March.
Royal Shine is coming to 5960 Barkley St.
- The car wash is coming to a space just off Barkley and Martway streets in Mission, near Valvoline Instant Oil Change and Stem Hair and Body Salon.
- Diamond Finish occupied that space for at least 15 years before its closure last fall.
- Once Royal Shine opens, its regular hours will be 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Royal Shine can accommodate big vehicles and busy days
The new Mission car wash will be able to accommodate roughly 900 cars on any given day.
One standout feature of the car wash will be its ability to handle large vehicles — including the types of tall service vans and delivery trucks that are often turned away at other car wash tunnels.
The roughly 10,000-square-foot building will be tall enough to get in vehicles that are up to 9 feet and 10 inches tall.
“Most car washes just aren’t built to do that,” Glenn said.
Beyond the washing tunnel itself, the site will have other features that owners hope will extend a typical visit beyond a simple wash-and-go.
“This property will be one of a kind,” said co-owner Kent Fager.
Some of those features include heated vacuum bays and a “bug prep” and “salt prep” feature to tackle some of the extra mess that vehicles accumulate during the summer and winter months.
The facility will also offer a self-serve pet spa area for four-legged passengers, and products like washer fluid, air fresheners and dash wipes.
Members also get the added perk of the “Royal Refresh” fountain drink area inside.
A solar power component to the car wash also aligns with the owners’ goal of mixing sustainability with efficiency.
“We’re doing solar panels on the roof, and we’re doing the maximum allowed by Evergy, which is 99.9 (kilowatts),” Glenn said. “We think we can provide 90% of our power with that, which makes our wash pretty green.”
This marks Royal Shine’s second JoCo car wash
Royal Shine’s Shawnee location opened in 2021. Current owners Kent Fager and Alex Glenn purchased that car wash in 2023.
Since acquiring Royal Shine’s Shawnee location, the car wash’s owners have expanded once before — that time to the other side of the state line, in Liberty, Missouri.
Their hope with expansion, the team said, is to build distinctly unique locations rather than churning out a chain of exact lookalikes.
“Everything we’ve added has been because we wanted it as a customer ourselves,” Glenn said. “We can do that because we’re locally owned and operated, and we don’t have that corporate structure.”
There’s not much of a shortage of car washes in Johnson County — with one, Tidal Wave Auto Spa, less than a mile away in Mission. Regardless, Royal Shine’s owners say its customers have continued to choose it time and time again.
“I’m excited about how loyal our customers have become, even though they can go to any other multiple washes in the area,” General Manager Michael Ahlers said. “I think our loyalty across Liberty and Shawnee is because we’re locally owned, and we offer great customer service.”
Ultimately, he said, their goal with the property is simple: take the site of a familiar neighborhood business and make it feel new again — without losing the local, personal touch that keeps their customers coming back.
“You only survive if you have loyal members,” Ahlers said. “That’s an important piece of that success.”
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