“Your car is your second biggest investment,” said Christopher Burris, standing in Exquisite Reflection Details, the auto detailing shop at 154 E. Washington St. he opened in August.
He worked his way up for the last four years from a single car garage to a successful full-time business with a loyal client base.
The location of the shop at the old Texaco is special for Burris and his younger sister, Kim Burris. Their grandfather, “Tony” Russell Sonnier, owned and operated the Texaco from the late 1970s to the early 1980s before selling it, they said, to work at the Clallam Co-op repairing small engines as his “retirement.”
Christopher, a 2003 Sequim High graduate, said he used to detail cars as a “side-hustle” but “one day it morphed” and he realized that he loved the work so much that he should invest in himself and his skills.
Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen / Christopher Burris and his sister Kim Burris stand outside the Texaco their grandfather used to own, which Burris now rents to operate Exquisite Reflection Details, Christopher’s auto-detailing business that moved to the 154 E. Washington St. location in early August.
He trained and became a certified ceramic installer with Dr. Beasley’s, which he called “a small company that is the Bentley of product development.”
Christopher’s business has been known locally for years as Auto Detail By Burris, but now he’s transitioning the name to Exquisite Reflection Details.
He said, “I’ve built a reputation for good work. There’s a trust and belief in me. I treat people’s everyday cars like I do Porsches.”
Christopher explained that the quality that his customers expect is because of the dedication and hard work of his team, the eco-conscious products they work with and the reputation he has developed through the years, tackling jobs from routine maintenance to highly challenging.
Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen Christopher Burris and his sister Kim work together on the glass of a car at Burris’ shop, Exquisite Reflection Details, at 154 E. Washington St.
“They take difficult jobs and make it look easy,” he said of his team.
“We’ve seen some pretty bad cars,” said Kim, one of Christopher’s two full-time employees.
Christopher agreed. The siblings listed some of the challenges they’ve tackled: “blood, dog hair, mold, dirt, gear oil, pee, ants, boogers …”
People get busy, the Burrises said, and sometimes neglect their cars.
The Burris siblings said they have a strong work ethic they credit to their mother. They said she worked hard to support them throughout their childhood and from the time they were old enough they worked hard, too.
Christopher said that with this business his work ethic has combined with his passion for cars; his happiness with the choice shines forth.
“I really love cars,” he said.
Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen / Christopher Burris works on a car while his sister Kim Burris looks on in the background.
“Usually from the minute we get here ’till we leave, there’s no downtime,” Kim said, and that she’s happy about that, too.
In addition to Kim, Exquisite Reflection Details has one other full-time employee and one part-time. Christopher said he is hoping to find a third worker, full-time preferably, but part-time is possible, because the business is booked through September and more help means more cars can be detailed.
“You have to have a team in order to grow,” he said.
Customers
Sam Schoessler of the 7 Cedars Casino fleet of cars, said that Christopher works on all of the casino cars — buses, shuttles and the employee cars that people drive for the casino.
“His work is awesome, very detailed,” Schoessler said. “When you get the car back, you can tell that he and his employees took a lot of effort and time to do good work. The tires are shiny. They look good — the dust doesn’t collect on them. He shops around for all the right products.
Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen / Christopher Burris of Exquisite Reflection Details — formerly Auto Detail by Burris — opened his new shop on 154 E. Washington St. in August after four years of building a loyal client base at other locations.
“After he details, the car stays looking good for a while.”
Serena Stanton-Jackson said she brought two cars to the detail shop, both of which she described as “disgusting.” The first car was inherited, with beer and food stains.
“The car was gross,” Stanton-Jackson said. “[Christopher] looked at it and said, ‘This is going to be hard work.’
“He kept it for a few days, and when I got it back it literally looked like it came from the dealer.”
Stanton-Jackson said she knew that because before the car was purchased she went on the test drive at the dealership.
The other car, she said, had sat in a driveway for a year and a half after its out of state tabs expired.
“A cloud of mold spores,” wafted up when she moved the seat belt, she said.
Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen / Christopher Burris of Exquisite Reflection Details — formerly Auto Detail by Burris — opened his new shop on 154 E. Washington St. in August after four years of building a loyal client base at other locations.
“I was honestly shocked,” Stanton-Jackson said, when she took it to Burris to look at, “that he said, ‘I’m excited. This is a hard project.’ He said he was excited for the challenge.
“His sister put on a hazmat suit to clean it. When it was done, it looked brand new.”
Christopher said he has to see a vehicle before pricing it.
“Everything is time-based.
“It’s not cheap, but good work isn’t cheap.”
Exquisite Reflection Details
Auto detailing
Where: 154 E. Washington St.
Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday
More info: 360-621-8744, autodetailbyburris@gmail.com
On the web: facebook.com/Auto-Detail-By-Burris-268978231644890
Note: Dr. Beasley’s authorized dealer, certified ceramic specialist
