By By JAMES COLLINS / Niles Daily Star
NILES -- A new Niles business is offering a spa treatment for your automobile.
Murphy's Auto Spa, located at 510 Second St., is a full service car wash/detailing business that prides itself on giving vehicles a "personal touch."
The business has been operating strictly as a mobile service out of Indiana for the past few years and now finally has a home building with its new downtown Niles location.
And the owner Charles T. Murphy, a 1983 Niles High School graduate, is happy to be returning to his old hometown.
Prior to opening the auto spa, Murphy worked for Niles High School as a security guard, the intramural sports director and the freshmen football coach.
He now lives in South Bend, but said he and his wife plan on making the move back to Niles soon.
The mobile service remains a key component of the operation and is one of the things that sets this business apart from others of its kind.
By setting an appointment, the "spa" will travel to your home or place of work to perform a wash or detail at your convenience, he said.
Murphy has plans to vastly improve the look of the old building, which has served as the home to a landscaping service and machine shop in the past.
Among those plans are painting the entire building, putting in new flooring, creating a waiting room and business counter and paving the parking lot and driveway. He said the entire renovation process may take a few years to complete. "This building is going to undergo a pretty recognizable transformation," he said. "I want to be a very elegant looking place."
Murphy's business aspiration comes from his love of cars and making them look as good as they possibly can.
Thought the business specializes in muscle cars, Hummers and RVs, Murphy said they will serve almost anything that moves including boats and airplanes. The spa will be featuring weekly promotions to attract new customers including students' day, ladies' day, men's day and teacher's day. And every day will be senior citizen's day.
Murphy said they will also be giving free car washes to all Niles Police Departments vehicles.
And don't worry if your car has been long due for a wash, Murphy's Auto Spa is up to any challenge.