WALNUT CREEK, CALIFORNIA – Earlier this year, a classic carwash in Walnut Creek that has been serving the community for years was listed as “Permanently Closed” on several online directories.
Locals freaked out a bit. But it turns out it was a mistake.
The carwash was only closed temporarily. And better yet, the closure was for construction so this classic WC spot could get a big facelift.
Lil Bear Car Wash, the long-running wash at 604 Ygnacio Valley Road, appears to have completed a noticeable round of renovation work.
The big canopy that formerly covered the parking area is gone. And the building is now clad in a much fancier-looking exterior.
Here’s how it looked before:
Today, the siding is a nice, dark gray–a much more modern appearance. You can see it in our photo above.
Likewise, the old sign was showing its age:
Now, it has a friendlier and more up to date “Little Bear” as the logo:
Lil Bear’s history in Walnut Creek goes back to 1969, when it appears to have been a gas station and carwash. Business listings and profile pages for the wash identify that as its original opening year, and a business description says the site was run by its original owner until 2017, when it changed hands and began focusing more fully on the car wash side of the operation.
That same description says the gas pumps were later removed, creating more room on site for vehicle flow. Some third-party business directories are imperfect, but multiple sources point to the same broad timeline: a late-1960s opening and continued operation for more than five decades.
Lil Bear also appears to be the last survivor of what was once a larger East Bay footprint. Prior reporting on the site noted that photo documentation from 2008 described the Walnut Creek property as the last remaining Lil Bear location, after earlier decades in which Lil Bear washes also operated elsewhere in the East Bay, including Concord and San Leandro.
It’s a great carwash, and we’re thrilled that it has not only remained open, but now looks new and improved.
