Leon's Auto Center

Leons Auto Center / J & L Auto Body have been in business for many years serving Cheshire County and the surrounding area. The company was started by Leon Watkins and John Fontaine and both are very involved in local community events.You may have watched the J & L Auto Body women's softball team or Leon's Auto Center men's softball team play in the city league. The Zamboni used for the ice arena is serviced by Leon's and the paint and lettering was done by J & L.By age of 21, he was shop foreman at a local dealership and eventually ran the parts and service departments. During Leon's years of working in the mechanical service, he would come across vehicles in need of body repairs" he thought of his friend John Fontaine.In 1979 John and Leon had set up shop in the garage at Leon's home in Surry. They named the garage J & L Auto Body and that was the beginning of our body shop.When the dealership Leon had been working at closed in 1992, Leon opened his own shop, Leon's Auto Center, on Victoria Street in Keene. A year later, Leon's Auto Center started towing for AAA and it was Leon and his Dad that drove the 1 truck he had. In that same year, Leon began running his used car sales department. Also during that time John Fontaine and 6 employees were doing body repairs at the J & L Auto Body shop in Surry.