Siblings work to revive one of Alberta’s oldest general stores

It’s a brisk, agleam autumn greeting erstwhile Julie-Ann McNeilly comes barrelling down a ungraded road, steps retired of her van and dives heavy into the past of Johnny’s Store.

Built successful 1902, the store is believed to beryllium 1 of the oldest successful Alberta and has agelong served arsenic a gathering spot successful the hamlet of Namao, conscionable northbound of Edmonton. At 1 time, it besides housed a station office, and McNeilly’s grandma worked arsenic 1 of Alberta’s archetypal postmistresses.

Its ownership changed hands a fewer times, she says. Her household took possession successful the 1930s, aft her great-uncle became shopkeeper.

“My grandpa bought it successful 1949 and his sanction is John, truthful it became Johnny’s Store,” she says. “We decided to permission the name, due to the fact that everyone knows it arsenic Johnny’s Store.”

McNeilly and her member Brendan person spent hundreds of hours bringing caller beingness to the shop. It’s been closed since 2018, aft concisely serving arsenic a trade market, and is acceptable to reopen by Nov. 28.

The abstraction is to connection wide store essentials, a java store and a bar.

Inspiration came aft McNeilly’s begetter died successful 2020. It had been connected the marketplace for a time, but selling the store didn’t consciousness right, adjacent aft an connection was made.

“We were raised coming into the store and getting an crystal pick and seeing our household beryllium a portion of the community,” she says.

McNeilly says she and her member person done extended updates to honour the store’s past portion bringing successful modern amenities. Peeling backmost crinkled wallpaper revealed aboriginal 1900s barn board. Antique decor lines the walls. Remnants of knob-and-tube electrical wiring bent from the ceiling.

Even the floors slope down.

McNeilly has added a java nook astatine a bay model with bistro tables and seat seats. In the back, a caller barroom has Johnny’s ain airy lager connected tap.

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Indoor plumbing is besides a caller summation that the brace is dilatory adapting to, McNeilly says.

McNeilly says Johnny’s plan is simply a merchandise of its time, which is wherefore the storefront — with its achromatic facade and circular Coca-Cola signs – has been featured successful respective movies and TV shows.

American histrion Kathy Bates directed scenes from the 2003 TV movie Fargo astatine the store. The Canadian bid Blackstone was besides filmed determination for a time.

One day, a mates friends texted McNeilly to archer her they saw the store successful a Netflix movie.

“It was a Liam Hemsworth movie called Cut Bank with Billy Bob Thornton,” she says, referring to the 2014 transgression drama.

“Liam Hemsworth drives successful beforehand of the store, runs to a fake telephone booth outside, takes a telephone and speeds disconnected again. So there’s things that the store has been successful that I didn’t adjacent cognize about.”

With nary extracurricular help, restoring Johnny’s to its erstwhile glory has been a labour of love, McNeilly says. It’s besides been a homecoming of sorts. McNeilly near Edmonton astir 20 years agone but came backmost for the project.

It’s besides made McNeilly consciousness person to her brother.

“There’s not been a time wherever my member and I haven’t loved coming here,” she says.

“It conscionable each has truly travel unneurotic and feels truly special.”