Billie Jo Crocker
Johnston’s Home Center
Sales are important to any family business, but one local business puts the service after the sale as job No. 1. Billie Jo Crocker has worked at her family’s business, Johnston’s Home Center in Benton, for 22 years. Her family started the business in 1979, so she said she doesn’t know anything different than working at the store. Johnston’s Home Center sells a wide range of products and appliances, like refrigerators, dishwashers and vacuums. The store also carries a variety of home sewing machines, quilting machines and commercial sewing machines. Johnston’s also has a new location at 1421 Military Road. With the new location, the store has added fabric to its offerings. Fabric brands include Riley Blake, Tula Pink, Amy Butler, Kaffe Fassett, Henry Glass, Robert Kaufman and much more. Crocker’s main focus at the store is the sewing department. In addition to sales of machines, accessories and software, she also teaches classes. She said the store has from 55 to 60 classes a month. The classes cover everything from basic sewing-machine techniques to specialized software. She said this training gives her customers the tools they need to be productive and happy with their purchases. “Our goal is to make you as successful as you can be with your selection,” she said. “If [customers] feel successful, I feel like we’ve done our job.” In addition to training, the store also offers technical support and repair services for its sewing and appliance departments. The store recently added a lawn-care department that includes mowers and power hand tools. Crocker said working in her family store has been entertaining and a blessing. She has worked closely with her parents, Joe and Kristin Johnston, as well as her brother Robert Johnston. The family is really close, she said. They even live on the same block. Working in the family business has also been great for raising a family, Crocker said. In the summer, she had the flexibility to come and go when needed, and her children had an opportunity to have a close relationship with their grandparents and uncle.
OUR GOAL IS TO MAKE YOU AS SUCCESSFUL AS YOU CAN BE WITH YOUR SELECTION. IF CUSTOMERS FEEL SUCCESSFUL, I FEEL LIKE JOB.” WE’VE DONE OUR — Billie Jo Crocker