Groton Small Engine Repair restructured and revitalized

Chris Clair has been the owner of his own business — Groton Small Engine Repair at 553 Cortland Rd. — since January 2020, and while many in the community may be aware of the shop that is located right next to the Groton Cycle Center (GCC),  some may not know that Clair, in his words, “took a pause to restructure and streamline the business” this past October.  

With the start of the new year, Clair has relaunched and revitalized the small engine repair services that he has always offered, but he has also added basic computer repair services and can build or repair radio-controlled (RC) vehicles such as cars, boats, planes and helicopters. 

“I want to be more effective and helpful for people,” Clair said. “I had just purchased the small engine portion of the Groton Cycle Center’s business in January 2020, and then COVID hit. There were some tough times, but now I’m ready to roll again.” 

Clair moved to Groton in 2016, but his life began in Daytona, Florida. He moved to Spencer, New York with his mother, Brendalee Campbell, when he was six years old. As he grew up, his fascination with cars was the catalyst for everything he learned along the way that eventually brought him to the career he enjoys so much today.  

Campbell made the move to Spencer to manage the restaurant owned by her brother, Tim Todi. She met and married Clair’s stepfather, Kenny Campbell, in 2003. They all remained in Spencer until Brendalee and Kenny both got job offers in Palm Coast, Florida when Clair had just finished his sophomore year of high school. 

“I attended Matanzas High School in Florida briefly,” Clair said, “but their curriculum was so far behind New York’s that they wanted me to go back a couple of grades. I could not see doing that, so I got my GED instead in 2010. Not long thereafter, my Uncle Tim needed help in the restaurant, so we moved back to Spencer. My brother, Steven, is 11 years older than me,” Chris said, “and he had always stayed in Florida. He does computer repair and website design down there, but we have remained close, even though he’s far away.”  

Once back in New York, Chris started working as a butcher at MaineSource in Ithaca, where he was trained on the job, but he kept his eye out for a job as a mechanic.  

“All through my teenage years, I was fascinated with cars,” Chris said. “I remembered details and specs about cars and played video games about cars. When I was 16, I bought a Honda Civic for $200. There was not much left of it, but I took it all apart, put it back together again, and got it running. It was all self-taught, with help from YouTube.” 

Chris continued to buy and fix up old cars in his driveway in Spencer in his spare time, but he did find a job at Goodyear Auto Service in Ithaca, where he became an oil and lube technician. He remained there for two years and was then offered a job at Mavis Discount Tire, where he held the same position but also learned to do alignments and helped to open the store. 

Four years later, Chris was asked to work at Willcox Service & Tire as a mechanic and New York state safety inspector. For the next five years, Chris worked there, perfecting his skills, and then he branched out to work at a local car dealership for another six years.  

In the meantime, Brendalee and Kenny purchased the Portzline farmhouse on Peru Road and moved to Groton in 2016. Chris moved in with them to work on renovating the house. That was a pivotal moment in his life.  

“I was working at the dealership and working on the house, and then I saw an advertisement for a job at the Groton Cycle Center. They wanted someone in the Groton area to be a small engine mechanic, and I applied for it.” 

As it turned out, the father/son duo who own the GCC, Don and Kyle Titus, hired Chris and trained him to repair snowblowers, lawn mowers, four-wheelers, utility task vehicles (UTVs) and more. In addition to the happiness Chris felt to be working there, another pivotal moment in his life happened when he met Alexa, who was also an employee there and still is today.  

Chris and Alexa struck up an instant friendship that blossomed into a relationship. They were married Oct. 15, 2022, and happily live with their four dogs, an eight-year-old hound named Sheba, a two-year-old German shepherd named Remi, a one-year-old goldendoodle named Apollo and the six-month-old daughter of Sheba and Apollo, named Buffy.  

“I am really grateful that Don and Kyle took a chance on me,” Chris said. “I was at a place where I was kind of down and out in my life, and it’s like having another family. We’re all very close and look out for each other.” 

In January 2020, Don and Kyle wanted to pursue other facets of the GCC business and offered Chris the opportunity to purchase the small engine portion of the business.  

“I jumped on it,” Chris said. “I didn’t know much about running a business, but Don and Kyle mentored me to learn that part of things, and my Uncle Tim did some also.” 

When the pandemic hit just two months later, things got a little rough for Chris until he was deemed an essential employee because he was repairing snow blowers and generators, which were essential for the community.  

“I was the only employee,” Chris said, “and I just kept working. The Groton community kept me afloat, as did the Etna Fire Department, the Greenhill Cemetery in Dryden, the Village of Moravia and the farming community at large. So many people helped me keep things going, and I always try to help the community and people in general, like stopping to help get snowblowers going in a storm or pulling people out of ditches — things like that.” 

With all that behind him and the relaunched and revitalized offerings of Groton Small Engine Repair ahead of him, Chris is more anxious than ever to serve anyone who needs his services.  

“I am excited to be back serving the community in multiple ways and look forward to continuing to do so for a long time,” Chris said. “I can be found on Facebook, by emailing me at grotonsmallengine@gmail.com or by calling me at 607-725-1767.”  

Groton on the Inside appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Submit story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com or text or call Linda at 607-227-4922.  

In brief: 

Volleyball is back!  

Groton Recreation will offer adult coed pick-up volleyball on Mondays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. beginning January 29 in the Groton High School gymnasium. There is no fee to play, and it is open to all skill levels. The goal is to get together and have fun playing volleyball! 

Email recreation@grotonny.org with any questions. 

Johnson Museum with Carol Hockett

The Groton Public Library will host “Silhouette Self-Portraits” from the Johnson Museum with Carol Hockett from 12 to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27. Come and to learn about and make silhouette self-portraits with Carol Hockett.

To help us make sure we have supplies for everyone, register at director@grotonpubliclibrary.org. For more information, call 607-898-5055. 

Dog control reminder 

Dog control in the town and village of Groton is provided by Country Acres Pet Services, 5852 West Scott Rd., Homer, New York. Please call for lost pets, dog complaints, stray dogs, nuisance dogs, sick or injured strays or dangerous dogs. The office phone number is 607-749-2734, and the emergency phone number is 607-345-3139, or email info@countryacresanimalshelter.org. 

The shelter manager is Lindsay Andersen, and the assistant manager is Suzie Tracy. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, with Saturday hours by appointment. Please consider adopting a pet from Country Acres.