There’s a new auto service in Groton

For more than 30 years, Bill Leaver owned and operated Bill Leaver Auto at 301 Peru Rd., but recently he retired and put the business on the real estate market. It took a while to finalize the deal, but Leaver is pleased that another lifelong Groton resident, Myles Gaines, stepped up to make the purchase. Gaines will officially reopen the business as Groton Auto Service on Oct. 2.  

John and Shelley Gaines – Myles’ parents – moved their family to Groton when Myles was four years old, so he only remembers Groton being his home. He attended Groton Elementary School through the fifth grade, after which he attended Cortland Christian Academy, graduating from there in 2010. 

Myles Gaines earned his bachelor’s degree in automotive technology from SUNY Morrisville in 2016, but not before he’d first pursued his future from a different angle.  

“I thought I would like to be a police officer,” he said. “So, after high school, I went to Onondaga Community College for criminal justice. I took one semester there, then switched over to TC3 [Tompkins Cortland Community College] for another semester. After talking to different people I knew who were police officers and hearing I would likely need to move somewhere else to do well with it, I decided that wasn’t for me after all.” 

Thus, between leaving TC3 and beginning his education at SUNY Morrisville, Gaines worked full-time doing maintenance and renovations for Lansing West Apartments while also holding a part-time job at UPS in Ithaca.  

When asked what brought him from criminal justice to automotive technology, Gaines credited his upbringing and time spent with his dad for his interest in working with cars.  

“No one in my family ever worked on cars, but I always liked cars,” Gaines said, “and I always liked working with my hands. I did a lot of carpentry work with my dad growing up. We did all the remodeling on our house ourselves, and I learned a lot from him. We also raised sheep, so we would build fences and other things for them.” 

The sheep were a big part of Gaines’ youth. He was in 4-H from seventh through ninth grade and showed the sheep locally and at the New York State Fair.  

“We took first place almost all the time – mainly because we raised rare breeds of sheep, so [we] rarely had competition,” he said with a chuckle. “We had Cotswolds and Navajo Churros.” 

After Gaines received his automotive technology degree, he was excited to begin working on cars, and he did so when he landed his first job at Schara’s – right here in Groton! Unfortunately, that job lasted for only two months before the company went out of business.  

For the next year, Gaines worked as a mechanic, then assistant manager at Cole Muffler in Ithaca. He followed that with a mechanic position at C.A.R.S. in Cortland, and then Royal Auto Group as a diesel mechanic for the next three years.  

Gaines next worked at All County Collision and Repair in Homer – first as a mechanic, and then as its general manager – his final position before taking the bold step to own his own auto service shop.  

“I wasn’t actively pursuing this,” Gaines said, “but this past March a Snap-On Tools representative happened to mention to me that Leaver’s was for sale, and he gave me Bill’s phone number. Bill was in Florida at the time, so I waited another month to meet him and see the place. After that, I thought about it for about a week. I always thought I would like to own my own shop, and the conditions were ideal. I thought, ‘If I’m ever going to do it, this seemed like the perfect opportunity.’” 

Gaines still makes his home in Groton with his wife, Sarina, who is a registered nurse at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse, and his children, Marcus and Ryleigh, who both attend Groton schools. Marcus is in seventh grade and Ryleigh is in fifth. Myles keeps busy with his family’s activities outside the workday.    

Gaines has always been an avid hockey player, beginning at age six, when he played for the Cortland Flames Youth Hockey Association. He moved on to the Ithaca Youth Hockey Association, the Binghamton Junior Senators and the Syracuse Stars – playing defense all the way. He still plays adult pick-up hockey today, as well as coaching Marcus’ Central Outlaws team at The Rink in Lansing. When not busy with hockey, Myles might be found watching Ryleigh play with the Groton Recreation Youth Soccer Program. 

All of that is a big part of Gaines’ feeling that purchasing Leaver’s shop is ideal for him. It is five minutes away from his home and right across the road from the Groton Jr/Sr High School.  

“I think it’s going to be really convenient for customers to be right here in the village, too,” he said.  

Leaver is very pleased to see Gaines take the reins from him.  

“He seems like a really nice guy,” Leaver said. “I think he’s going to do really well. He’s already completely renovating the place, and it’s going to look great!” 

Gaines will offer a full range of services, such as New York State inspections, oil changes, tire services, alignments, brakes and suspension work, exhaust system, air conditioning and cooling system work, diagnostics and more.   

Beginning Monday, Oct. 2, Groton Auto Service will be open for business 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, but all are invited to its grand opening celebration from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30. Hamburgers and hot dogs will be served, along with tours of the facility.  

At the time of this writing, the phone number was not yet available, but customers may contact Gaines via email at service@grotonauto.com or by finding Groton Auto Service on Facebook. 

“I would like to thank my friends and family for their support in opening Groton Auto Service,” Gaines said. “I am excited for this opportunity to provide this service to our community, and I appreciate everyone’s continued support.” 

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: 

The Legion’s famous chicken barbecue 

The Groton American Legion Post 800, 307 Main St., will hold another of its famous chicken barbecues Saturday, Sept. 30 beginning at 10 a.m. until sold out. Dinner will include a half chicken, salt potatoes, baked beans, dinner roll and a brownie for $11 per meal. Chicken only is $9 per half. Call ahead to order at 607-898-3837. Everything will be available inside the Legion. 

Spaghetti supper  

The Groton City Church, 47 Groton City Rd., will hold one of its famous spaghetti suppers Saturday, Oct. 7 from 4 p.m. until gone. The supper includes great spaghetti, tossed salad, bread and butter, beverage and dessert. Cost is a free-will offering and will benefit the church’s fuel fund. The church is handicapped accessible, and all are welcome. Additional parking spaces have recently been added to the property. 

Youth basketball registration 

Groton youth basketball registration is open for third- through sixth-grade travel teams. Registration and further details may be found at 

https://tshq.bluesombrero.com/grotonrecreation. In-house basketball programs for kindergarten through second grade will take place in January and February. More details to follow at a later date.