Whyte’s Auto Services permanently closes

Jim Whyte was looking through old photos inside the office of his car repair and used car dealership, Whyte’s Auto Service, on the morning of July 14, reminiscing about the past 69 years of his family-owned business.

A staple in the village of Freeville, the community was in shock when Whyte announced in late June that his business would close July 2.

“Freeville will lose a much respected family-run business that has been in continuous operation for nearly 70 years,” Village Mayor David Fogel said.

Whyte, 72, said the primary reason for the garage’s closure was a staff shortage.

“It was tough to keep up with everything,” he said. “I’m old, and I can’t repair cars like I used to, so I’ve been doing mainly office work for the past handful of years.”

Fogel wished Whyte well in a “well-earned retirement.”

“His integrity and skills will be greatly missed by many,” Fogel said.

Whyte is now preparing to sell the garage, a business that has been in his family since 1952 when his father, Robert J. Whyte, first owned it. Prior to owning the business, Jim’s father was a paratrooper in World War II. After the war, Robert married Jim’s mother, Monica.

When Robert was at the helm, a gas station was included in combination with a car repair garage and a used car sale lot that sold mainly Ford vehicles.

Robert owned the business for over 30 years prior to Jim taking the reins in 1984. Jim went on to own the business for almost 40 years.

When his father was in charge, Jim remembers, as a kid, being there every day to take on any task his father asked him to accomplish. Jim was “always here” at the garage, especially since he lived in the house next to the business for 15 years.

When he turned 17, Jim had a brief stint out of the family business. He went into printing with the Freeville Shopper for five years. Shortly after, he returned to the garage.

Jim at first didn’t intend to take over ownership of the family business, but said “things change.”

“When you’re a kid, you’re not sure what you want to do,” he said. “I got into printing and thought that was going to be it. I came back to work here instead.”

Jim never looked back as he brought in customers from not only the village area but from cities like Ithaca, Cortland, Binghamton and Syracuse as well.

“I have a file full of regulars,” he said. “I had thousands of them.”

On a busy day at the garage, Jim said he had between 15 and 20 customers come in for appointments. His business was open seven days a week, each day open until 9 p.m. At one point, Jim had a 14-person staff in order to meet the demands.

As the years went by, the biggest challenge Jim and his mechanics faced was the constant updates and upgrades to various car models.

He noted how cars between the 1950s and 1970s were “clear cut.” Once Jim took over as owner in the mid-1980s, the difficulties with car upgrades began.

“We spent thousands of dollars on programs to keep us through the updates,” he said.

In 1993, Jim renovated every part of his business. Then in 1998, Jim was forced to remove the gas tanks and pumps from the property and close down the gas station after the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation said it wasn’t “up to snuff.”

“It would have cost us $125,000 to replace the tanks,” Jim said.

Jim’s business went through a slew of changes over the decades he owned it, but one thing that never changed was the customers.

“The people were the greatest,” he said. “I’ve dealt with some wonderful people over the years.”

As Whyte readies his business to be up for sale, he hopes the next owner will “keep the charm” of the property.

“It’s been a hub in the community for years,” he said. “One can wish that will continue for years to come.”

IN BRIEF:

Church in Freeville to hold drive-thru chicken BBQ Friday

The Freeville United Methodist Church will be holding a drive-thru chicken barbecue dinner and can and bottle drive this Friday on Main Street in the village.

Dinner will be served starting at 4 p.m. The event is takeout only, and there will be no advanced orders. The dinner costs $12, and a half-chicken is $8. Dinner includes chicken, salt potatoes, beans, salad, a roll and dessert.

All proceeds will go to the Woods family in the village.

Freeville Board of Trustees meeting in August

The village of Freeville Board of Trustees’ upcoming meeting is slated for Aug. 3 at 7:30 p.m. at the Village Hall.