Gary Johnson's Store on Murphy
Highway
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Gary Johnson's Store in Union County, Georgia
Johnson's Store was where the bikers hung out. Sometimes twenty or thirty Harleys would be in the parking lot.
Gary Johnson's parents owned the store on Murphy Highway which had a pool room off to the side. They let us party there as long as we did not run off customers.
Photo courtesy of Al Garnto
Johnson's Store
This building, on the corner of Deaver Road and Murphy Highway, was demolished. A new store was built but it was never the same.
Gary and Jimmie Sue at Johnson's Store
Gary and Jimmie Sue were not really part of the End of the Pavement bunch. Gary was a biker that rode a Harley. Jimmie Sue was his girlfriend from Hiawassee.
Sometimes I would venture up to that area of Union County and party with them. We gathered at Johnson's store, on Lake Nottely, at the Cliffs, and below the Dam.
Photo courtesy of Al Garnto
Howard and Dorothy Johnson
They sold cigarettes, hot pickled sausages, snacks, soft drinks, fishing supplies, suntan lotion, condoms, and more at Johnson's store. Sometimes Gary would give us stuff for free.
Gary and Eugene
That was my Buick Skylark in the parking lot. I think the bike belonged to Gary. A bunch of bikers hung out at Johnson's Store. Most of them owned Harley Davidson's.
Linda and HB in the early 90s at Johnson's Store
Linda and HB were a really cool couple. I liked them both.
Playing pool in the back room
Johnson's Store pictures are rare because the bikers did not like cameras. Gary never said a word to me about my camera but some of the others did.
We had a lot of fun at Johnson's Store. We played pool and listened to music on the Juke Box. Sometimes we even danced.
Tom and Julie
Tom was cool with that red bandana. Julie stood out with those white ribbons and ruffles.
Ricky and David with a woman in the parking lot
We had some fun times at Johnson's Store -- especially after Dot closed up and went home to bed. Gary and his parents lived across the street so they did not have far to go.
Under age drinking was common back then.
Gringo and Tracy enjoyed an evening at Johnson's Store.
Photo courtesy of Al Garnto
Headed to Johnson's Store
Al Garnto rode in the back of his grandpa's truck when they went to Johnson's Store. They lived within a mile so it was not a long trip.
Two men at Johnson's Store
That was Billy with the Mountain Dew and rainbow suspenders. I think the other guy was Eric.
Gary and I took a very memorable road trip sometime in the 1980s.
Gary's girlfriend took off with some other girls leaving him holding two front-row Aerosmith tickets -- but with no ride and no way to sneak in beer.
He wanted me to drive and to hide beers in my purse. He would buy the gas. Did I want to go? Yep, sounded fun to me.
We headed off to some small college town in North Carolina. I don't remember the venue but the band was unforgettable -- Aerosmith and Steven Tyler put on a great show.
Why do I remember it so well after seeing dozens of concerts in Atlanta? Well for starters, Steven Tyler sang Dream On directly to me -- he looked right into my eyes the whole time.
Everyone commented on it later so it was not my imagination.
I do want to mention one more thing about that concert. The band members wore shabby costumes and their equipment was out of date. Steven Tyler had on an old satin cape from the 70s and scuffed up platform boots.
The teenagers in the audience sat there like mannequins and did not give Aerosmith much of a reception.
A lot of rock bands were having hard times. DIsco was very popular and a lot of live acts fell by the wayside in those lean years.
That was why Steven Tyler picked me. He could see in my eyes that I appreciated the music.
I also appreciated a nice bike and the sound one made roaring down the highway. I was not a biker, but I admired the people that lived the lifestyle. That is one of the reasons that I will never forget Johnson's Store.
See a picture of Gary's headstone on the Memorials page.