General stores are timeless. You likely have at least one fond memory at these stores, whether buying a slushie to endure summer heat or picking up an energy drink to refuel for a road trip.
General stores always have what you need when you need it.
For the residents of Namao, a small hamlet about seven kilometres north of Edmonton, it doesn’t get more timeless than Johnny’s Store.
Johnny’s Store was built in 1902 by Jeremiam “Frank” Johnson and is thought to be one of the oldest general stores in Alberta. People hated the name Jeremiam, including Johnson, so he went by Frank.
According to local historian Gordon Carson, Johnson was an active member of the local church, which he helped build.
After Johnson passed away in 1910, the store went through many owners, including Thomas Neal, in 1924. Neal was a memorable character who owned a green parrot.
The parrot would hang around the store saying things like, “Polly wants a cracker,” “Shut the damn door,” and other colourful phrases.
Although slushies and energy drinks weren’t around back then, residents still remember Johnny’s Store for the same reasons. Take Jack Speers, for example.
Speers passed away in 2017 at 92 years of age but spoke fondly of the general store in an interview with the St. Albert Gazette in 2012.
In Speers’ time, it wasn’t easy getting around Namao. Permanent structures were few and far between, not to mention the terrible road conditions.
Travelling to Edmonton for a shopping spree wasn’t realistic, so residents shopped at Johnny’s Store instead.
“The thing I remember the most was the bananas. They always hung with the end of the bananas down…and I thought that was the way they grew!” said Speers.
Preserving Heritage
Over the years, Johnny’s Store has sold all sorts of products, such as gasoline, socks, cameras, tobacco, Jersey Milk bars, bullets, and flour. You name it, Johnny’s Store had it. People didn’t just shop, though.
“Not many people had telephones, so that’s where you got your information. My family, we’d go to the store every day,” said Ross McLay, curator of the Namao Museum.
McLay believes Johnny’s Store serves the same purpose today, with residents visiting the shop to meet people, drop packages, pick up groceries, and get the latest news.
Currently, siblings Julie-Ann and Brendan McNeilly are keeping the store’s legacy alive. The McNeilly family took ownership of the store in the 1930s when Julie-Ann’s great-uncle, Robert, became the shopkeeper.
Robert was nicknamed “Red” for his fiery red hair. When Robert bought the store outright in 1940, he renamed it “Red’s.”
“My grandpa bought it in 1949, and his name is John, so it became Johnny’s Store. We decided to leave the name because everyone knows it as Johnny’s Store,” Julie-Ann told the Canadian Press.
Julie-Ann’s grandpa was a tall man, standing over six feet tall. He was a likeable guy known for his laugh and love of jokes.
Back then, Johnny’s Store was also a post office. John ran the store with his wife, Ollie, who worked as one of Alberta’s first postmistresses. She took her job seriously and was a fashionista, known for wearing the latest styles.
The next person to operate the store was Keith Reed in 1990. However, Reed stepped down in June 2012 due to commercial pressures, including the construction of the Anthony Henday highway in 1992, which made travel to Edmonton much easier.
Julie-Ann’s father, another John, took up the reins, operating Johnny’s Store until its closing in 2018. He passed away shortly after in 2020.
After their father’s passing, Julie-Ann and Brendan were inspired to revive Johnny’s Store in honour of their family’s legacy.
“We were raised coming into the store and getting an ice cream and seeing our family be a part of the community. It was very important to us to keep that legacy going,” said Julie-Ann.
Johnny’s Store on the Big Screen
John never wanted to change much about Johnny’s Store. He tried to keep the shop’s historic charm. Julie-Ann and Brendan want the same.
So far, the siblings have added a coffee nook at the bay window with bistro tables and benches. The back is where the fun happens, thanks to installing a new bar serving Johnny’s Light Lager on tap.
Arguably the most important addition is indoor plumbing, which Brendan is still getting used to.
“My brother still runs to the back outside to go to the bathroom,” said Julie-Ann.
Johnny’s Store isn’t just a trip down memory lane; it’s a place where new memories are made. Before the store closed in 2018, it was a hotspot for local students to hang out.
“It’s a real satisfying thing to see students start in their first year of high school and go on to graduate,” said Reed.
If the McNeillys’ latest additions weren’t enough to draw in new customers, the store’s Hollywood fame might.
Over the years, the store’s old-school charm has been featured in films and TV shows like Bordertown Cafe, Ray Bradbury Theatre, Fargo, Blackstone, and, more recently, Cut Bank.
You might recall seeing Cut Bank on Netflix, a 2014 crime drama featuring heartthrob Liam Hemsworth and Billy Bob Thorton.
“Liam Hemsworth drives in front of the store, runs to a fake phone booth outside, takes a call and speeds off again. So there’s things that the store has been in that I didn’t even know about,” said Julie-Ann.
Julie-Ann and Brendan have spent hundreds of hours prepping Johnny’s Store for its grand reopening on November 28. The road ahead will be challenging for the McNeilly siblings.
The Canadian Convenience Store Association’s 2013 report shows that almost 2,300 convenience stores have closed across Canada since 2008, most of which were independently owned and operated.
With a Petro-Canada posted up across the street, Johnny’s Store will have fierce competition, but the McNeilly siblings are one step ahead.
The Association’s report also states that over 90 percent of the stores offering fresh food or food prepared on-site were profitable. In other words, innovation was crucial to survival.
Johnny’s Store already offers coffee, pastries, and food-to-go, so it’s safe to say that the future of this historic icon is in good hands.
We have enough Petro-Canada gas stations, but gems like Johnny’s Store are hard to come by. If you are in Namao or nearby, why not support a local business and create your memories?
