Owner Andy Zarka sold the closed European Street restaurant at 5500 Beach Blvd. on July 14 to the developer of Scrubbles 3 Minute Express Wash who intends for it to be redeveloped as a LUV Car Wash.
Scrubbles Beach Boulevard Express Wash LLC, led by Todd Buckner, bought the property for $1.4 million from European Street of Beach Inc., led by Zarka.
Sean McGill, Cantrell & Morgan director of brokerage, represented the buyer and will be handling site selection for LUV.
Planters First Bank of Cordele, Georgia, financed the deal with a $4.95 million mortgage.
“Beach Boulevard will be a LUV location, Buckner said July 16 by email. The restaurant will be demolished for the project.
The city is reviewing a permit application for Realco Recycling Co. Inc. to demolish the 6,194-square-foot restaurant at cost of $25,000.
LUV Car Wash, based near Phoenix, announced March 4 it acquired 10 car washes from Tifton, Georgia-based Scrubbles.
Four are open with six more in development and projected to open over the next 12 months.
Buckner said LUV signs will be displayed within a few weeks at the existing Scrubbles car washes at Town Center, Atlantic North, Atlantic Beach and Fleming Island.
He said that along with the Beach Boulevard site, the new locations in development along San Jose Boulevard, Race Track Road, Oakleaf Plantation Parkway, Blanding Boulevard and in Green Cove Springs also will open as LUV car washes.
He said the 9826 San Jose Blvd. car wash received a certificate of occupancy last week to operate as LUV.
“This location will be opening within the next few weeks,” he said.
The existing four Scrubbles in Atlantic North, the Town Center area, Atlantic Beach and Fleming Island are shown as LUV.
The Colliers real estate firm listed the 1.64-acre Beach Boulevard site and 6,146-square-foot restaurant for sale at $1.4 million.
Colliers Executive Director Jason Ryals and Senior Associate Gina Kline represented Zarka.
Zarka closed the restaurant in April after 22 years in business and moved the staff to the European Street locations in San Marco, Riverside and Jacksonville Beach.
Luman E. Beasley Auctioneers Inc. auctioned the equipment and other contents of the closed restaurant July 10.
On May 26, LUV announced it closed on an acquisition to bring an additional six car wash locations in the Jacksonville-St. Augustine metro area. Those are ZIPS Car Wash sites.
Four of the acquired locations will be upgraded and rebranded while two will be redeveloped into new LUV Car Wash sites.
Buckner, a Northeast Florida resident, said in March he will assist LUV in its expansion while he opens the Scrubbles concept in the St. Louis, Missouri, area.
LUV said it has 52 operating car washes throughout Jacksonville, Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego and Savannah, Georgia, with additional locations in the pipeline.