Evelin’s Auto Care, known for its wash, wax and detailing services, is tucked away in a corner off Sixth and Minnesota streets. It’s a small shop, but it’s named after someone even smaller.
Meet 5-year-old Evelin Vincent. She’s what drives her parents, Justin Vincent and Amanda Holding, to pour their hearts into the namesake auto shop, and she’s the newest generation in a family with a big love for cars.
“My dad always had cars around while I was growing up, so that gave me a passion for building old cars and taking care of new ones,” Vincent said. “But now that I have my own shop, I need to find some way to set myself apart.”
That’s why Vincent shifted gears. Instead of focusing on general services like detailing, he’s been steering more toward a unique offering: Jade ceramic coating.
“There’s nothing else like this ceramic coating,” Vincent said. “… I’m excited to get the word out. It’s the most effective way to protect your investment — your vehicle — but a lot of people don’t even know what it is.”
Ceramic coatings are more durable than wax and last for years. Hand-applied as a liquid polymer, ceramic coatings harden into a hydrophobic layer that adds shine and protects vehicles from water stains, scratches, road grime and other damage.
“It even adds value to your vehicle because you can put it on your Carfax report,” Vincent said. “I had one customer who put a ceramic coating on his car, drove it for two years, and sold it for more than he bought it. It looked brand new.”
Evelin’s Auto Care offers these ceramic coatings because they believe in the product, but also because of how it fits into the local auto community’s needs. After all, Vincent got his start in the industry in 2007 at Auto Plaza Car Wash, near 27th and Iowa streets. He credits his own professional success to the owner, Ivan Hollins, his mentor.
“The industry is really supportive in Lawrence. I’m friends with the owners of all the other shops,” Vincent said. “That’s another reason why I separated myself to do this. I don’t want to be in competition with them; I want to be able to work together. If someone is booked up, or a customer wants a specific type of work done, those guys will send referrals to me and vice versa.”
It’s this sense of community that’s at the heart of their business. Holding, who helps out at the shop as a part-time owner, says Evelin’s Auto Care relies heavily on repeat customers. Once someone calls, they almost always come back.
“We haven’t had much public advertising, so we’re surviving strictly off word of mouth,” she said. “That says a lot for our community. The customer and business relationships we have go a long way and have really helped us succeed.”
Find more info about Evelin’s Auto Care on their website, Facebook, Instagram, or call 785-424-3125.
Update: Evelin’s Auto Care moved locations in summer 2022. The company’s new address is 901 Delaware St., Suite B, in the same building as Slimmer’s Automotive.
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Jordan Winter (she/her), a contributor to The Lawrence Times since August 2021, is a 2019 KU grad with degrees in journalism and political science.
Check out her work at jrdnwntr.com. See more of her work for the Times here.
