The new downtown Wichita, Kansas, Meineke Car Care Center at the southwest corner of Central and Washington is now open.
In December, former Ryan Aviation owner Ron Ryan told Have You Heard? he bought into Meineke for his son, Scott, brother-in-law, Steve Blasdel, and Blasdel’s son, Ryan.
Ryan bought his Meinekes about seven years ago but didn’t own the land they’re on. He wants to, though, so one by one he’s moving his stores or opening new ones at properties he’s buying.
That’s how he came to have the 6,000-square-foot downtown space where Shively Tire once was.
“We do complete car care,” Ryan Blasdel said.
There are nine service bays that can handle something as small as an oil change or as large as an engine replacement. The business doesn’t do body work, though.
Blasdel says the business will give rides to people downtown after they drop off their cars for work, “which can be real convenient.”
Or, customers can work while they wait on their vehicles.
“We have a little business center,” Blasdel says.
Blasdel said another Meineke is in the works on Webb Road just north of Central. There’s no address yet.
“Our goal is to have it open before the end of the year.”
For now, he said his group’s farthest-west Wichita Meineke is at 21st and Amidon.
“We’d love to expand further west,” Blasdel says. “There’s definitely a lot of growth on the west side and definitely a lot of potential.”
