Antonios "Tommy" Thomas came over to America in the 1920s through Ellis Island with his family and nothing else to their name. 

He graduated from Manual High School in Louisville, KY, and enlisted and served as a Sergeant in WWII. 

Upon arrival home, Tom and his two brothers got a crazy itch to start Louisville’s first car wash. 

Thomas Car Wash was the 15th car wash built in the United States, the 1st automatic car wash in Kentucky and the first in The South. We opened one location on Baxter & Broadway and soon opened a second location on the corner of 2nd Street and Chestnut. 

When we opened, we had the first conveyor style wash, but no automatic brushes (they weren't invented yet). The conveyor wasn't anything we'd recognize as a car wash conveyor today. It was a chain with a hook attached to the bumper that pulled through the car wash. It might not sound super-automatic today, but it was big news at the time! Plus, it was the style everyone had - because that's all that was available in 1946!

One location quickly grew into a second location and following the success of their first washes, Tom and his brothers travelled around the U.S.A. helping open other automatic car washes and even developed and built some specialized washing and drying equipment themselves. The dryer (pictured) was installed in 1946 with the help of an experienced welder named Oliver "Ollie" Nash. 

"That dryer was installed in 1946, and we built it ourselves! There weren't any automatic dryers on the market, so my dad and his brothers worked with a welder around town to make one. It was ugly, but man it worked!" 

-Mike Thomas, Owner

Through the 50s and 60s, we continued to wash, grow and upgrade our equipment, opening up 3 more locations. Not only did you go to the wash for a good inside and outside car cleaning, but you could get your petroleum too! Over the next two decades we opened the following Thomas Car Wash locations: 

Baxter & Broadway - opened early 1946

2nd & Chestnut - opened late 1946

Hike Point - opened in 1962

Dixie Highway - 1964

Dixie Highway (2nd) - 1968

We opened an additional two car washes in the 2000s and welcomed a new car wash enthusiast onto the scene: Alex Thomas, Tom's grandson! With Tom’s sons, Eli & Mike. and grandson Alex at the helm we saw new upgrades in and out of the wash. We started to introduce our exterior express washes and started bringing all the washes together with cohesive branding.

We opened an additional two car washes in the 2000s and welcomed a new car wash enthusiast onto the scene: Alex Thomas, Tom's grandson! 

With Tom’s sons, Eli & Mike. and grandson Alex at the helm we saw new upgrades in and out of the wash. We started to introduce our exterior express washes and started bringing all the washes together with cohesive branding. 

Our new washes included: 

Nicholasville - opened in spring of 2007 

Hikes Lane - opened in fall of 2007 

In the 2010s we opened an additional three car washes. By 2019 we had three full-service car washes and two express washes ready and washing cars just in time for the pandemic. 

We were able to make it through the big economic changes that hit us over the next two years thanks to our dedicated Thomas family members working, our amazing crew and the support of our community.

In the 2010s we opened:

Hurstbourne - 2015

Preston Indian Trail- early 2019

Preston Fern Valley - late 2019

Having washed millions of cars in Louisville, the Thomas family has remained committed to the same values upheld by Tom, Nick, and Eli—delivering the cleanest cars with speed and friendliness, even as technology has evolved. In 2020, we proudly recognized that we were the only car wash in the USA to have been both family-owned and in business for 75 years. Despite the global challenges of that year, we continued to serve the Kentucky area with two full-service car washes and three express locations.

Car washing remains a family tradition as the Thomas family ushers in a new generation of car washing babies! In a car wash tunnel, four members of the Thomas family carry on the legacy. Introducing the future of car washing.

After 78 years of serving Louisville, the family-owned Thomas Car Wash chain decided to closed a few of it's wash doors and transfer four locations to Whistle Express Car Wash.

Founded in 1946 by Tom, Nick, and Eli Thomas, the five-site chain began as a full-service operation before transitioning to express washes in recent years.

Mike, Eli and Alex wanted to spend some time with their family, but knew they would never be out of the carwashing world for long... which brings us to...Clementine's!

Alex Thomas brings the The Thomas Car Wash family out of a brief retriement with a zesty new way to wash! Now refreshed with a new name, brand, and car washing style! Introducing Clementine's Car Wash in La Grange, the family's exciting new venture.

With a rich history spanning 78 years and millions of cars washed in Louisville, we've embraced technological advancements while staying true to the core values of Tom, Nick, and Eli—delivering the cleanest car around with speed and friendliness.

As the only car wash with 78 years of experience, we now proudly operate one full-service location still in Nicholasville, KY, and one touchless carwash in La Grange, Kentucky. We do plan on opening up more, so here’s to another 78 years of exceptional service!