Johnson's Grocery, Colombo Street, Christchurch. May 2008. AjrI wandered in to Johnson’s Grocery in Colombo Street this morning on my way to meet a friend. At Johnson’s the shelves bulge and things are done the old way. Long before the trendy age of delis and specialist food stores, Johnson’s were importing Stilton cheese, French escargot, Scottish haggis, French truffles, and English sweets along with a myriad of other edible delights from just about every corner of the globe. They still are and what’s more, Colin Johnson still wears his white grocer’s apron and calculates his customers’ bills in his head – although he has conceded to adding EftPost facilities. Colin’s father Stan bought the business way back in 1949 – I wonder what he’d make of the fact that Johnson’s Grocery is now a tourist attraction.
