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'Hello Kid': End of an era with iconic fruit stand's closure

'We will truly miss Mr. Johnson, his staff and his familiar greeting,' resident says after closure of local 'landmark' Johnson's Farmer's Market

Hello Kid.

Hello Darlin'.

Hey Junior, how ya doin’?

Those were just a few of the familiar greetings that many who ventured into Johnson’s Farmer's Market would hear from Jimmy 'Chickens' Johnson.

But now, that friendly greeting or some variation of another jovial rejoinder from Johnson has gone silent with the closing of his family's iconic, County Road 93 fruit and vegetable stand.

For years, Johnson manned the cash and dished out story after story about his life as a top-notch hockey player and all-around superlative athlete to life in Midland or just about whatever topic happened to catch his fancy on that particular day. And those who dropped by to buy a pie, a bushel of apples, maybe a dozen corn or some fresh tomatoes always seemed keen to listen and enjoy the repartee.

Many in the area are now expressing their collective sadness as the "landmark" business frequented by thousands over the years has closed for the final time.

Local resident Garnet Reid called it the "end of an era" here in Midland.

“We will truly miss Mr. Johnson, his staff and his familiar greeting..."Hello kid,” Reid noted. “Thank you Mr. Johnson and family for your many decades of serving this community.”

Debbie Pender-Messenger says Johnson will be missed as well as his big smile and his always available presence when it came to a friendly chat.

“Not only the store will be the end of an era, but also the dances which were held at The Rooster Tail just behind the store. Many good times with Midland people, and out-of-town people. Live music every Saturday night.”

Bonnie Curry-Desjardins also fondly recalls how she and her brother Bruce would ride their bikes on an old road between the highway and the houses to get a Popsicle from (Jimmy’s Dad) Vern and Mrs. Johnson's store.

“We'd say ‘hello’ to Jimmy as well. Manson and Eileen Curry, my parents, bought a lot of produce and flowers for the gardens from their store, as well as being good neighbours for many years,” she noted.

“Years later Bruce went many a night to the Rooster's Tail to meet 'chicks' and dance. Jimmy kept the place after his parent's passing and always had kind words remembering old times! I'll miss Johnson's Fruit Market as well as the Johnson family.”

Former MidlandToday columnist Rene Hackstetter wrote about Johnson in this 2020 article where he described those visiting the stand on their way between their Toronto jobs and local cottages.

“Johnson's Farmer's Market is a hostelry of sorts, a kind of way point along the route  to the Magic Islands of the Georgian Bay,” Hackstetter wrote.

“Chickens is really an old master, a gatekeeper, guarding these sacred precincts from the profane. He masquerades as the vegetable seller along the road, but there is so much more.”


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Andrew Philips

About the Author: Andrew Philips

Editor Andrew Philips is a multiple award-winning journalist whose writing has appeared in some of the country’s most respected news outlets. Originally from Midland, Philips returned to the area from Québec City a decade ago.
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