Long-operating Tiffin car wash closes

Riley's Car Wash, a full-service car wash that opened in Tiffin in 1952, has closed. Emerson Riley, who has owned the car wash for the past two years, closed the business Monday, he said. Riley said he decided to close the car wash because business had been dwindling. "I kept it running for my dad and grandpa," Riley said. Riley said his father, Tom Riley, who previously owned the business, and his grandfather, Wayne Riley, who opened the car wash, both died in 2015. Emerson said he had worked at the car wash since he was 11, and especially enjoyed working beside his father and grandfather. "I enjoyed being the No. 2 guy," he said. Emerson said his grandfather originally opened the car wash in downtown Tiffin after seeing the idea in a comic strip. In 1962, the business moved to 249 N. Washington St., where business boomed in the following years. "Business was really great in the '70s, '80s and '90s," Emerson said. Emerson said the business had been named the second oldest family-owned and operated full-service car wash in the United States. Emerson said the building and lot are to be for sale.