FINAL TOUCH DETAIL

It’s not every day an early passion evolves into a rewarding lifelong career. Nor does everyone start his own business at age 11. But Derek Anderson, owner of Final Touch Detail, wanted movie money so he got to work. His first customers: his mother’s visiting friends who happily paid the young entrepreneur a whopping $3 to wash and detail their cars. At 18, after a short stint working for Chester Dorsey, the former UW basketball star who owned an auto salon business, Derek left to go out on his own and never looked back. “I’ve been detailing cars for 50 years now,” he says.  

A Seattle native, Derek grew up less than a mile from his current business location next to the Shell gas station in Madison Park. With a team of eight employees, he serves customers throughout Seattle and beyond. In addition to a full menu of automotive detailing services, Final Touch Detailing offers a concierge service for busy Seattleites; this includes everything from keeping the gas tank topped off to taking the client’s car to an auto shop or dealership for scheduled maintenance or repairs.  

Unfortunately, after six years in its present location, Final Touch Detailing is losing its lease on July 30. Derek is actively searching for a new spot. He adds that the company will resume its mobile operations this summer, allowing it to clean and detail cars at a customer’s preferred location.