One sunny spring day last week Calvin Knarr was busy moving chainsaws, lawn mowers, pressure washers and other lawn and garden tools from the inside of his new-to-him repair shop and arranging them outside in front of the garage door.
His friends and family, along with Mapleton Township Mayor Gregg Davidson, sauntered up expectantly to chat and make jokes at Knarr’s expense. Homemade cookies and coffee were ready.
The occasion was the ribbon-cutting at Knarr’s new shop, A.C.G. Small Engine Repair, in downtown Drayton.
He bought the building at 10 Main St. E. that’s home to a car lot and a shop. Knarr already runs Alva Cherrey’s Garage as well as a car lot.
“We were going to sell cars, and the building itself had a showroom in it and a repair facility that was not being utilized to its full potential,” said Knarr. “So we started up a small engine repair in this building to utilize its potential.”
This comes just as the town’s previous small engine repair shop owner decided to retire, said Knarr. Another one in Listowel had also just closed, so his new shop comes when the community needs it.
Knarr said he hired a small engine repair technician, and will also be helping out with the repairs himself. Since the community would have been missing a place to go for small engine repairs, he expects his customers would have come to him for help anyway. Now he is prepared to help them, he says.
“It’s not about me, the individual,” said Knarr. “It’s about the team we have working behind us and obviously meeting the community’s needs. That’s what we’d like to focus on moving forward. That’s what we like to do.”
Calvin Knarr had plenty of people out last Friday to support the launch of his newest venture, A.C.G. Small Engine Repair in Drayton. [Leah Gerber]
