Three generations on Dodge Street
Walt and June Kowalski opened one wash bay in 1987. Their grandson runs the Iowa side today. The rules have not changed much.
A gas station, a garden hose and a promise
In the spring of 1987, Walt Kowalski was a union pipefitter with a bad back and a good idea. He and June bought a shuttered filling station at 48th and Dodge, knocked out the service bay wall and installed a single wash tunnel with a conveyor that squeaked for the first three years.
June ran the register, kept the coffee on and hired two neighborhood kids to vacuum every car by hand. Customers paid $4.50 for a wash and got the same thing every time: a clean car and someone who remembered their name.
Treat every car like it is Grandma's Buick. If you would not do it to hers, do not do it to anyone's.
Their son Greg and his wife Linda took over in 2006 and added the Wash Club, water reclaim and two more locations. In 2015 grandson Danny opened Council Bluffs. Four washes, roughly 140 employees, and still a family business where the owners work Saturday mornings.
- 1987Family-owned since
- 4Omaha-area locations
- 2.1M+Cars washed on Dodge Street alone
- $418,650Raised for local groups
Our family history
Nearly four decades of washing Omaha's cars, one milestone at a time.
1987
One bay on Dodge Street
Walt and June Kowalski buy a closed gas station in Dundee, install a single wash bay, and hire two neighborhood teenagers to vacuum.
1993
The first charity wash
Dundee Elementary PTA raises $1,140 on a Saturday in June. It becomes a standing offer to any school, team or church.
1999
West Center Road opens
Families move west of 168th and Walt follows them with a second location and the city's first spot-free rinse.
2006
Greg and Linda take the keys
The second generation takes over day to day, adds the Wash Club membership and keeps the lobby coffee free.
2008
Papillion and water reclaim
Our Sarpy County wash opens with a reclaim system that reuses about 70 percent of tunnel water. Every site has one now.
2015
Across the river
A former tire shop on West Broadway becomes our Council Bluffs express wash.
2019
Dundee rebuilt
A new 140-foot tunnel and detail center, with the original 1987 sign hung back over the lobby door.
2026
The third generation
Grandson Danny Kowalski runs the Iowa side and our fundraiser program passes $400,000 raised.
What we still believe
Written on a legal pad in 1987, laminated in 1999, and still taped inside every break room.
Treat every car like it is Grandma's
June's rule from day one. If you would not do it to her Buick, do not do it to anyone's car.
Make it right, on the spot
If something is not clean, we rewash it. If something is damaged, a manager handles it before you leave.
Pay people well, promote from within
Every one of our site managers started on the drying line.
Give back where we wash
Charity wash days, free washes for first responders every September 11, and scholarships for crew members.
The family and the crew
Every site manager started on the drying line. Combined, this group has 140 years at Hometown.
- 01
Danny Kowalski
Third-generation owner since 2011
Started vacuuming at 14, studied business at UNO, now runs Council Bluffs and our fundraiser program.
- 02
June Kowalski
Co-founder since 1987
Still does the Tuesday books and still asks every new hire where they went to high school.
- 03
Marcus Bell
General manager, Dundee since 2004
Drying line to general manager in twelve years. Coaches youth baseball in Benson.
- 04
Priya Raman
Detail center lead since 2011
IDA certified detailer who can get grape juice out of a white headliner.
- 05
Andre Whitfield
Site manager, West Center since 2009
Keeps four lanes moving on Saturdays and knows every regular's truck.
- 06
Tyler Novak
Site manager, Papillion since 2014
Air Force veteran who runs our crew training and early members lane.
Credentials and memberships
- WaterSavers memberInternational Carwash Association water conservation program
- BBB A+ ratingAccredited since 1994, sample credential
- Nebraska DEE permittedWastewater permits at every Nebraska site
- IDA certified detailersInternational Detailing Association training
Come meet the family
Stop by any location for a free cup of coffee, or join the Wash Club and become a regular.