SPECIAL STORE: Our column Monday on the Christmas Store in
Smethport had to be trimmed to accommodate other page 1 necessities
(lotteries, Snoopy at the typewriter, and our daily weather
drawing).
We had provided information from Ross Porter of Smethport who
had interviewed Morris Johnson and Cynthia Johnson, children of
Christmas Store founder Leonard Brynolf Johnson, about the early
days of the store.
Picking up where we left off –
“Business was so successful that in 1949 it was necessary to
charter a United Airlines flight to meet delivery deadlines.
Leonard hired trained artist Herbert Johnson (no relation) to
further raise the quality and oversee the production facility.
“With the infusion of Herbert Johnson’s artistic abilities and
Leonard Johnson’s marketing skills the Smethport outdoor displays
became nationally known and the Christmas Store, a major American
tourist attraction.
“Displays adorned Ozzie and Harriet Nelson’s home, Frank
Sinatra’s home, NATO Headquarters in Naples, Italy, and even
President’s Park near the White House. Smethport’s location on U.S.
Route 6 and a national advertising campaign brought both Smethport
and the Christmas Store to national attention.”
Again, we ask any readers who have a story about the Christmas
Store and its Christmas displays to drop us a line and we’ll share
it in a forthcoming column.
BE CAREFUL: A Port Allegany woman contacted The Era with a
timely reminder about a telephone scam aimed at getting your
personal information – particularly financial information.
The woman, who asked us not to publish her name, was called at
home by a man who claimed to be from her bank and was trying to
contact her to correct a mistake on her account.
He asked for her account number, but she became suspicious when
he claimed it was about a supposed error involving internet
banking. In fact, she never does any banking on the internet and
she declined to give him her account numbers.
She wants to make sure that people are careful not to give
personal information out over the telephone.
“People should be warned, because you never know,” she said.
TODAY’S QUOTE: “People that read tabloids deserve to be lied
to,” said comedian Jerry Seinfeld, 1997. As always, today’s quote
is from our Freedom Forum calendar.
