Valvoline Instant Oil Change

I was scouting Dysart Road north of I-10 in Goodyear, AZ for a potential Salad & Go site. An absolute banger of a retail corridor with almost all the major retailers and heavy traffic. I spotted an AT&T sitting on more than 1.5 AC with a parking field that made no sense for a cell store. A little digging showed it was a former sit down restaurant, so a carve out felt possible.

I pulled up AZ SOS, found the owner, and called. Voicemail. Tried again. Voicemail. Sent a handwritten note. Nothing. I pivoted my strategy and found a second contact in the Articles, an attorney, and he was open to the idea. He floated it by his client and called me back and said she was interested in my idea. Let's go.

Before I paper anything, I typically check-in with the tenant. I learned that Salad & Go was already moving on a different site in the trade area. Sucks, but this was a monster idea. I'd be fine. I shifted to Valvoline, who needed coverage here, was growing, and had a team I knew. They toured quickly and we agreed to an LOI.

I put the land under contract with a 12 month escrow. Title then revealed CCRs with a no-build running straight through my future pad. Four owners had to consent, including Lowe’s. I asked Valvoline to pause lease drafting and REC work until I knew I had a path forward on this issue. This was not a lay down, and I was not about to get egg on my face with Valvoline.

Lowe’s said no. I asked again and got the same answer. Valvoline had stores in Lowe’s centers and a working relationship, so I had them reach out. After 4-6 months, Lowe’s approved for a 25K fee. I secured more time from the seller due to the Lowe's delay and we resumed the lease negotiation.

The lease took about 9 months to sign. After that, tenant contingencies ran more than 16 months. I do not buy without a non contingent lease, so with all the moving parts we amended the contract 8 times. That is hard work to secure that many extensions. I never posted additional non refundable earnest money. Credit to my seller for the patience that kept this alive.

On the day before closing, which was also the final day of contingencies, Valvoline asked for a 90 day extension due to a utility permit delay. My seller and I had already signed closing documents, so it was too late to seek another extension. I told them, “I am closing tomorrow. You can waive or you can cancel, but either way I am confident in this pad. I would like you there, but I will find another tenant if not.”

They waived. I closed and the store opened on 10/1/25.