Belvedere teens turn passion for cars into detailing business

Redwood High School juniors Henry Vare (left) and Max McGuire (right) of Belvedere wash a Ferrari in Tiburon on March 26. The longtime friends run Belvedere Detailing, a car-detailing service that currently serves about 30-40 residents, including 10 regulars. (Ted McDonnell / For The Ark)

When longtime friends and Belvedere neighbors Max McGuire and Henry Vare noticed high-school peers getting their first jobs, they wanted to join in. But, they said, they didn’t want part-time work in a store, they wanted to do something more entrepreneurial, where they could make their own money on their own time.

Max, 17, and Henry, 16, turned their passion for cars into a profitable business, starting their own detailing service last year. As Belvedere Detailing, the Redwood High School juniors say they now wash and detail between five and eight cars a week, building a client base of 30-40 locals, including 10 regulars. Customers live primarily in Tiburon and Belvedere, with some from Sausalito and Larkspur.

The teens say working together enhances the experience.

“Being able to just see all these different cars and do it together” is the best part of the job, Max says.

“It’s a lot more fun” working with a friend, Henry says.

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