Shelton Designs & Signs / Car Wash: Statia's Two-in-One Local Stop
Get your rental cleaned up and your custom sign made in the same lot in Oranjestad.
Why Go
On an island where you fly in, drive dusty volcano roads to Baby Beach and dive sites, and then hand back a truck caked in red dirt, Shelton's is the low-key local answer: a working car wash bolted onto a small design and signage shop on Feachweg. Nothing fancy, no website, no big banner out front — just a Statian family business that quietly keeps half the island's vehicles, boats, and shopfronts looking sharp.
The Experience
Pulling up on Feachweg feels less like a retail visit and more like dropping by someone's yard. You'll usually find a couple of pickups in line for a wash, reggae drifting from a speaker, and Shelton or one of the crew sketching out vinyl lettering for a fisherman's boat or a new bar sign inside the workshop. The design side handles decals, banners, T-shirt prints, memorial plaques, boat names and vehicle graphics; the wash side takes rentals, ATVs and locals' trucks. Service is conversational — expect to talk about where you're staying, which dive shop you're using, and whether you've been up the Quill yet before anyone quotes you a price.
What to Try
Book a full hand-wash-and-interior on your rental the morning before you fly out — cheaper than most airport cleaning fees and it saves you scrubbing sand from Zeelandia off the mats yourself. If you're on-island for a wedding, dive-club anniversary or a boat christening, ask about a small-run vinyl decal or a printed banner; turnaround is usually a day or two and the pricing is a fraction of what you'd pay off-island. Divers sometimes commission custom tank stickers here as souvenirs.
Insider Tip
There's no posted price list and no online booking — just walk in or call ahead in the morning. Cash (USD) is king; card machines on Statia are unreliable and Shelton's is no exception. If the workshop looks closed at midday, that's the island lunch/heat break — swing back after 2pm and you'll almost always find someone around. Ask for the wash to be done in the shade, or the Statian sun will spot-dry your paint before they can finish.
The Practical Stuff
Location: Feachweg 3, Oranjestad, Sint Eustatius (Caribbean Netherlands), a short drive from the main F.D. Roosevelt Airport and the Lower Town harbour. Best reached by rental car or scooter — no reliable public transport on the island. Hours are informal, roughly weekday mornings through late afternoon with a midday pause; closed Sundays. Payment: cash USD preferred. Price range: budget-friendly for both wash and small signage jobs. No reservations for washes; call ahead for design work.
Pair It With
- Antillean Horde Car Rental Guide — Pick up your rental here, then loop back to Shelton's the day before return to hand it back spotless and dodge cleaning surcharges.
- Aquarium Dive Site — Rinse the salt off your gear-hauling truck at Shelton's after a morning shore dive at one of Statia's signature reef sites.
- Baby Beach Guide — The sandy track down to Baby Beach coats vehicles in dust — Shelton's is the closest proper wash on the way back into Oranjestad.
- Alvin V. Courtar Park — Pair a walk through this Oranjestad green space with a quick errand at Shelton's — both sit within easy walking or driving distance in town.
- Bacchanalia Guide — Drop the car for a wash, wander into Oranjestad for a long lunch at this local restaurant, and pick it up gleaming on the way back.
