Johnny’s Store

Namao, Alberta

Most of the old buildings featured in my articles are in a state of decay or even in ruins. That’s just the nature of old structures, especially in North America where they were built quickly and often inexpensively. With high labour costs it’s typically less expensive to demolish and replace an old structure than it is to restore them. With that in mind I’m sure you’ll be pleased to read this article that features an iconic old structure that is getting a second lease on life.

Johnny’s Store is a well known landmark just north of Edmonton in the community of Namao. The old store has served the needs of the local community since before Alberta became a province. It provided for their various needs from food to fuel. The big red Coca-Cola signs on the clapboard siding give Johnny’s Store a classic appearance that has attracted photographers for years.

Below is a photo I took in 2013

The store in 2013 doesn’t look much different than it does now in 2024. The main difference is the removal of a couple of signs and the mail boxes. In fact, the appearance hasn’t changed much since the 1950s as can be seen on the image below.

Johnny’s Store is not completely transforming, but it is evolving with the times. It started with selling basic staples such as salt, dried beans, lard, corn syrup, flour, and of course tobacco. Unsurprisingly, the demand for pails of corn syrup or packages of tobacco has diminished with the passage of time but that will be more than compensated for by the opportunity to sip hot coffee while enjoying good food, or perhaps even a cold brew. It will again become a gathering place for people in the Namao area including the nearby Canadian Forces Base. Johnny’s Store is just modernizing its product line and, thankfully, adding plumbing. Better yet, the proprietors of this iconic business are progenies of the mid-century owners. The brother and sister team of Julie-Ann McNeilly and Brendan McNeilly will soon be welcoming locals and other foodies to the new and improved Johnny’s Store.

Before we explore photographs of the store, let’s do a quick dive into its history.

History of Johnny’s Store

In the Beginning with the Johnson Family 1902-1910

It all began in 1902 when Jeremiam ‘Frank’ Johnson and his wife Jean arrived in Namao. Jeremiam Johnson was skilled in carpentry so he built a home for his family and the store that would be their livelihood. The store soon became a hub for the community. The store provided just about everything that the local farmers couldn’t make or grow themselves. It also became the Namao Post Office and has remained so with each succeeding owner until the end of the 20th century. Sadly, Jeremiam Johnson died in the fall of 1910 so his widow, Jean Johnson, found it necessary to sell the store to J.S Samis.

The Not So Happy Samis Years 1910-1913

John S. Samis was born in Michigan in 1869 and moved to Nebraska where he met his bride, Rosa Shultz. They arrived in the Namao area in 1895 to start a farm. In 1907 they left the farm and moved to Edmonton to become dealers in grain and livestock. This seemed to be a successful business but, according to his daughter Bertha, the fast growing City of Edmonton was pushing him out of the area.

There were no packing plants on the north side of the Saskatchewan River at that time, so Dad would keep pigs in a pen or corral until he had a train car load – about seventy five head – then drive them though the centre of the city down McDougall Hill, across the Low Level Bridge, up Strathcona Hill and out to a stock yard near the present Gainer’s plant, load them and ship them to the Burns plant in Calgary.

The city started to grow to the north and the keeping of pigs was frowned upon by the city fathers and near neighbours, so that was the end of the pig drives. The need for meat packing plants was very evident and Swifts and Burns plants were built in the next three or four years.

Bertha Johnson – A Cameo Of The West, Bertha Speers, page 197 and 198

After about three years in Edmonton the Samis family moved back to Namao and bought the general store from the widow Rosa Johnson in 1910. Bertha goes on to say that during the three years that they owned the Namao store their family experienced many hardships. Her brothers, Will and Ralph had accidents with horses, one sister contracted diphtheria and her brother Earl lost an arm in a shooting accident. There were twelve children in that family so those must have been trying times indeed. After three years of operating the store, John S. Samis sold the store to his brother-in-law, Walter Shultz. Bertha says that they were all happy to get back to the farm.

The Shultz Years 1913-1922

Walter Shultz bought the store from the Samis family (per the Samis family history at the end of page 198 of, A Cameo of the West). Walter Shultz had the first “hard-tired truck” in the area and they used it to bring supplies to the store and deliver orders to the many coal mines in the area north of Edmonton. The Shultz family owned the store for nine years before moving to Edmonton.

The Thomas Neal Years 1922 to 1931

The next few years saw the store in the care of various proprietors until 1924 when Thomas Neal, his wife Isabell and their son Thomas (Tommy) came from nearby Cardiff. Locals recall that the Neals had an exotic pet, a green parrot who was a fixture at the store. The bird could repeat the classic line, “Polly wants a cracker,” but also had a salty side and was known to say, “Shut the damn door!” and other more offensive remarks (to the delight of the children). Mr. Neal passed away in 1929, but Isabell and Tommy continued to run the store until 1931 when big ‘Red’ McNeilly arrived on the scene.

Julie-Ann McNeilly

The Robert and Alma McNeilly Years 1931-1948

The McNeillys had a rough start when they moved to Canada. Robert and Jane (Murdock) McNeilly were Robert Jr’s parents. His father, Robert Sr, was from the Belfast area of Ireland. He moved to the USA in 1911 and shortly thereafter came to Edmonton. In 1913, Robert Sr’s wife Jane McNeilly, and their three children came to Canada to join Robert in Edmonton but misfortune was their destiny. The train they were travelling in crashed near Ottawa killing Jane and one son. The two children who survived the train accident, Robert Jr and his sister Margaret, were sent to Edmonton after a five week stay in an Ottawa hospital. Robert Sr buried Jane in Ottawa and later would marry again.

Operating a general store must have been in the McNeilly blood because the elder Robert McNeilly operated two stores in Northern Ireland before coming to Canada. He also operated a store in the Strathcona area of Edmonton at 93 Ave and 98th Street. His son Robert Jr bought the Namao store in 1931.

Described as a big, friendly guy with (what else!) red hair, Robert ‘Red’ McNeilly together with his wife Alma moved in as renters. They named the store ‘Red’s’ and to save money the family lived in the back. Their daughter Alberta Jane (Peggy) was born there. By 1940 the business was doing well enough that they could afford to buy it. Later, after 18 years at the helm, Red and Alma sold the property but happily kept it in the family.

Julie-Ann McNeilly

The John “Johnny” McNeilly Years 1948

Robert and Alma McNeilly sold the store to Robert’s half brother named, John (remember Robert’s mother was killed in the train crash in Ottawa so his father remarried). John ‘Johnny’ McNeilly is the namesake of Johnny’s Store as it has been known ever since. Johnny McNeilly married Olga “Ollie” Schwindt in 1944 and bought the store in 1948 from Robert and Alma McNeilly. Johnny and Ollie had a son that they named John and he is the father of the current owners.

In the comments below, blog reader, Bernie Boutin had some interesting memories to share.

Oh man was that ever a great trip down memory lane. So many names are familiar…Shultz, Speers, Reid, (Keith’s wife babysat me now and again when I was just a wee tike) and of course the MacNeilly’s. The bit about handing out candy is true, and to be honest I can not ever recall seeing Johnny with teeth. Sad to hear that his son passed away so young. I think he was a couple of grades below me, but I still knew him.
Probably the thing I remember most about the store itself was how the floors squeaked and it felt like you were walking downhill. The outhouse used to be just past where the ladder is in the one shot.

Anyways, it was great learning the history.
Bernie Boutin

Inside the old store in the late 20th century

Here’s what the current co-owner Julie-Ann McNeilly says about her grandfather.

In 1949, John ‘Johnny’ McNeilly and his wife Ollie stepped in and, like his brother before him, named the store after himself. Also a large man, standing over six feet tall, John didn’t have red hair but was known in the community for his love of jokes and generous laugh.

Julie-Ann McNeilly

Julie-Ann McNeilly goes on to say that Keith Reed rented the store from Ollie in 1990 and managed it for over 2 decades before retiring in 2012. It was during the Keith Reed era that the store was discovered by movie producers. It was featured in the 1991 Canadian production, Border Town Café. Julie-Ann McNeilly said that the store was also featured in several TV shows and movies including Ray Bradbury Theatre, Fargo, Bordertown, Blackstone and, most recently, Cut Bank with Liam Hemsworth.

From 2012 to 2020, the store was reinvented a few times but also spent some years closed. When John Jr. passed away unexpectedly at the age of 63, his son Brendan and daughter Julie-Ann were inspired to continue the family legacy, in memory of their beloved grandparents and dad, by bringing Johnny’s back to life and to the community. The siblings spent two years upgrading the store, ensuring as much as possible of its original character was preserved. They are extremely grateful to the family members and friends who worked with them and to the municipality of Namao which was incredibly supportive.

Jullie-Ann McNeilly

That was a large amount of history for such a little general store. Now let’s take a closer at the store, inside, outside and even underneath.

2024 Images

Exterior

I made two visits to the store in 2024. The first visit was in the summer by motorcycle; the second visit was in November.

The ladder and shovels visible from the side view are from my most recent trip to the store. They show that this is a work-in-progress and a lot of the work is being done by the same multi-skilled people who will soon be serving coffee. They are restoring their grandfather’s store so this requires a multifaceted approach using their hands, planning skills, and of course hearts.

Click on any of the above images to enlarge. Click the arrow “>” to move to the next image and click the X to return to normal view.

Many photos of the facade of Jonny’s Store can be found online so I wanted to go one step further. In the summer of 2024, I met co-owner Brendan McNeilly and discussions ensued regarding creating an article about the store and the people whose lives are so intertwined with it. I’m pleased to show you images of the inside of the store captured in November 2024.

Interior in 2024

Julie-Ann asked me to guess what those narrow vertical shelves were originally used for. I immediately said “they were for the sorted mail”. I was wrong. Those were used to dispense cigarettes behind a glass cover. They would pull the package out from the bottom and the stack would drop down.

Click on any of the above images to enlarge. Click the arrow “>” to move to the next image and click the X to return to normal view.

Click on any of the above images to enlarge. Click the arrow “>” to move to the next image and click the X to return to normal view.

The short bar counter is the cold beer area. This is the place at the back of the store that should be especially popular during the hot days of summer. Johnny’s is licensed for both cold drinks ready to serve or off sales of a case of beer to be taken home.

Click on any of the above images to enlarge. Click the arrow “>” to move to the next image and click the X to return to normal view.

Much of what you see in these images is original. They added paint and some sanding and repairs but it’s otherwise very similar to how it once looked (the pub area is definitely new though). The floors are original and you will know that as soon as you step inside. The floors ebb and flow with the weather and seasons. That’s the kind of character that no new structure can duplicate. If you suffer from vertigo you may want to bring a cane or hang on to a friend. In fact, the floor is so out of square that the front door is stuck more often than not. Hopefully some clever carpenter will come up with a solution for the cantankerous front door. Julie-Ann and Brendan found a nice balance of keeping the old store’s character while repurposing it as a cafe and meeting modern building codes. An example of this is the wheelchair accessible washroom in a structure that originally didn’t even have running water.

Click on any of the above images to enlarge. Click the arrow “>” to move to the next image and click the X to return to normal view.

There are no ghosts at Johnny’s Store but the presence of Johnny McNeilly is always there. Johnny McNeilly, along with his wife Ollie, owned and operated the store since the late 1940s. Apparently Ollie McNeilly was the business woman who balanced the books and made the financial decisions. She may have been Alberta’s first postmistress. Johnny McNeilly was the friendly face that greeted people and often gave out free candy to children. Those overalls and cap belonged to Johnny. Johnny’s Store no longer sells gas but it was a Shell Station for many years. Johnny loved to run the front counter of the store but often didn’t bother to wear his dentures (false teeth). He was quite a character.

Click on any of the above images to enlarge. Click the arrow “>” to move to the next image and click the X to return to normal view.

It would be remiss of me not to show you my images of the underbelly of the store. Tree trunks from the old forests of the Namao area support the store. Tree trunks were a common material for supporting buildings in the early century. Julie-Ann and Brendan had this foundation inspected by structural engineers and were told that it’s just fine as it is. Who would have expected that? Some non-foundational changes were necessary to bring the building up to code. Those minor changes include the silver ductwork and the sump pump which seem anachronistic in this time-capsule of a basement.

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Going Forward

Johnny’s Store opened as cafe on November 28, 2024. Be sure to stop by and check it out. Once you’ve had a coffee or other refreshments at the Store, you become a part of its history. For more information about the new Johnny’s Store check out their page on Instagram at @Johnnysnamao

Citations and References

• Julie-Ann McNeilly and her brother Brennan provided access to the store so that I could photograph it. Julie-Ann also provided some historical details as noted above.
• Cameo Continues, A History of Namao and Area – 1991 – Namao Historical Society
• Cameo of the West, A Story of the Pioneers of the Present Namao School District No. 24 – 1968 – Bertha Speers.