Smithburg Automotive has a new detail center at 1503 West Burlington Avenue in Fairfield. (Andy Hallman/The Union)

FAIRFIELD – Smithburg Automotive has undergone a number of changes in the last year, with the opening of a new detail center, and converting its former gas station into a car rental facility.

Smithburg Automotive now has three properties in Fairfield: its main location on South 23rd Street that it purchased from Bob’s Automotive in 2020 where it performs all its repairs and tire sales; the new detail center and display lot at 1503 West Burlington Avenue; and its location at 308 W. Burlington Ave. where it now conducts its car rental service.

Owner Dave Smithburg said the new detail center opened in September 2022. The business began using that property as a show lot for its cars in May of 2023. Smithburg employs two full-time detailers there.

The detail center fills a couple of roles. It’s great for working on the company’s used cars, and it attracts customers who want their own car detailed.

“A lot of people want detail,” Smithburg said, noting the detailing business has already grown from one employee to two in the short time the service has been offered.

Smithburg said the nice thing about having a couple of locations on Fairfield’s main drag, Burlington Avenue, is that it increases the visibility of the business and its services.

“They get a lot of drive-by traffic,” he said. “Plenty of people still make trips out here [23rd Street location], but people see those others all day, every day.”

Smithburg Automotive moved into the 308 W. Burlington Ave. location in 2000, and that’s where it conducted repairs, sold tires and sold gasoline until it purchased Bob’s Automotive in 2020 and then moved some of its operations there. The business stopped selling gasoline at the 308 location last September, and in February it moved its car rental business there. Smithburg Automotive offers 18 vehicles to rent ranging from cars to vans to SUVs.

“That’s been getting us a lot of visual exposure,” Smithburg said.

Smithburg’s wife, Madonna, is the only employee at the 308 location now, and she handles car rentals fulltime.

“People can rent by the day, the week or the month,” Smithburg said. “There are discounts for renting by the week and by the month.”

Smithburg said the public’s reaction to the new location and new services has been good.

“We’re constantly changing something now and then,” he said. “We may reduce our locations down to two eventually, and then [Madonna] will be fulltime at the car lot, watching it and renting cars. We’ll have to put more gravel here [South 23rd], and have a rental car arena where there’s just a patch of grass now.”

Smithburg said he’s not sure yet if the business will sell the 308 location, though some buyers have expressed interest in the property. He said maintaining three locations is good for visibility, but it also means more work for him and the employees.

“It’s a lot to keep three businesses open,” Smithburg said. “That’s three locations mowed up, cleaned up, taxes paid up …. that’s a lot.”

Smithburg Automotive used to do its tire work at the 308 location, but it recently moved all tire work to its South 23rd location. Smithburg said he’s not planning any other changes for the near future.

“I’m tired of new things,” he said.

Smithburg Automotive has 16 employees in all. The business was founded in 1976 in a part of Fairfield known as New Chicago, near the intersection of North Fourth Street and the railroad tracks.