JZ Shines is led by Odell resident Juan Zuniga, at left. He has been detailing cars since he was a teenager growing up in Los Angeles, California. Zuniga and Gerry Vasquez, right, met in 2019 and began growing the car detailing business together in 2021. The company is expanding into a new 2,500-square foot shop and is looking for community support to ease the transition.
JZ Shines is led by Odell resident Juan Zuniga, who has been detailing cars since he was a teenager. The company is expanding into a new 2,500-square foot shop and is looking for community support to ease the transition.
JZ Shines is led by Odell resident Juan Zuniga, at left. He has been detailing cars since he was a teenager growing up in Los Angeles, California. Zuniga and Gerry Vasquez, right, met in 2019 and began growing the car detailing business together in 2021. The company is expanding into a new 2,500-square foot shop and is looking for community support to ease the transition.
HOOD RIVER — One of Hood River’s mobile car detailers is expanding their services and headquarters to provide cleaning services, window tinting and paint protection options.
JZ Shines is owned by Juan Zuniga, and he has found a new home for his business near the Heights on Barker Drive. Gerry Vasquez is his one other full-time employee, and together, the duo has grown the business from operating out of the back of Zuniga’s 4Runner Toyota to a full-size, 2,500 square foot shop. Despite his recent success, Zuniga is still hoping his community can support the move into the new headquarters.
Zuniga’s experience with detailing cars began during the summers living with his dad in Los Angeles. With his 12 years of experience detailing cars, he decided to start a mobile business after a conversation with friends and family.
“The idea just kind of popped in my head. And me and a couple friends were talking about it, so then I started pitching the idea to some of my family members,” Zuniga said. “I think somewhere middle of the summer of July of 2021, there was one client that was like, 'Hey, I’ll take a detail,' and I took that client on. After that it kind of took a life of its own.”
Nowadays, Zuniga strives to be efficient and provide the best quality service for a variety of vehicles, including boats. He says the new shop will be a much needed upgrade. Previously, he was working out of his brother-in-law’s garage that sometimes did not fit the vehicles they cleaned. He said he is grateful for his family’s investment.
“That was a blessing for us being able to say, ‘Okay, this is a start. It’s not that big, but at least get us through the hot summer days and fall winter months,’” Zuniga said. The garage provided space to store their equipment and was just big enough for one car at a time. As his clientele grew, he began the search for a shop that would be able to accommodate consumer demands. Zuniga said he looked at 10-12 different locations before finding the perfect fit for their needs.
Next month, Zuniga will officially get the keys to his new shop. Until then, he has setup an Indiegogo fundraising page with a goal of raising $40,000 to assist with the transition. Indiegogo is a company where startups can setup a webpage and make a call for funds with the stipulation that the beneficiary provides a small “gift” in exchange. The flexible fundraising goal allows the company to collect whatever funds are given — even if they do not reach their fundraising goal.
JZ Shines is led by Odell resident Juan Zuniga, who has been detailing cars since he was a teenager. The company is expanding into a new 2,500-square foot shop and is looking for community support to ease the transition.
Noah Noteboom photo
The campaign officially launched on Monday and will run through mid-December.
There are three main contribution options: The Believe pledge is $50, the Mini Tint option is $100 and the Gift contribution is $350. For those who contribute $100 towards the Mini Tint package, they will get their two front driver and passenger windows tinted, a social media shout out and a personalized thank you card.
Currently, JZ Shines offers detailing services, but said he hopes to expand his offerings with the help of the community. He will continue to be mobile and offer home services.
“[The fundraising campaign] will help in a variety of ways,” Zuniga said. “It will give our team the ability to be trained on window tinting ... as well as purchase the equipment to speed up the process of what we can offer.”
According to the fundraising page, the funds will go towards necessary equipment upgrades such as a new air compressor, updates to the shop, a tinting workhorse that cuts the window film to precise dimensions and more.
With the cold, rainy winter months approaching, Zuniga said he is on a tight timeline to make the transition smooth. His time is about to become even more valuable as he is the head junior varsity coach for the Hood River Valley High School boys basketball program. Zuniga also spent two years as a volunteer with the Hood River YoungLife Club. Together, he and his wife, Lindsy, have two children, Lukas and Olivia.
Vasquez likes to spend his free time making music and works events playing music and keeping the vibes high. To listen to his latest tunes, visit his Hyperfollow website.
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