Suds incoming: Another car wash will open in this bustling Columbia area-retail corridor

The Columbia area has seen a host of new car washes opened or announced in the last couple years.

Now it seems the busy Harbison Boulevard area is about to be a particular shiny corridor for vehicles.

A new ModWash car wash facility is under construction near the northeast corner of Harbison Boulevard and Harban Court. The wash will be next door to the Ethan Allen furniture store and across the street from Ashley Furniture. The car wash also will be just west of the Quail Valley neighborhood.

An opening date for the ModWash off Harbison hasn’t been publicly announced, but there is a sign in front of the site with a QR code for those interested in applying for a job there. Construction crews were on the site Monday morning, prepping the building and property.

The ModWash is one of two car washes currently under construction in the Harbison corridor. A Time to Shine car wash is being built at the corner of Harbison Boulevard and Columbiana Drive. That property was formerly home to a BB&T bank.

The Harbison area has been a resiliently durable retail district for the Midlands, with Columbiana Centre mall, Target, numerous restaurants, movie theaters and more dotting the corridor. About 18,000 cars per day pass down the road near where the ModWash will be, according to state Department of Transportation traffic statistics.

ModWash has locations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Other Mod locations in South Carolina include spots in Laurens, Gaffney, Darlington and, most recently, Lexington. The Lexington location, near the Publix at Hendrix Crossing, opened in January.

The process at ModWash is one that has become increasingly popular at modern car wash facilities, where drivers remain in their cars as the vehicles pass through the wash tunnel. Once that part is complete, customers can take advantage of complimentary vacuums.

Car washes have been been steadily popping up across the Midlands. For instance, a Big Dan’s car wash is under construction on Elmwood Avenue in Columbia, and a Take 5 car wash just opened in the 2800 block of Augusta Road in West Columbia. Meanwhile, a Frank’s Car Wash recently opened on Main Street in Blythewood.