Our History
1947 was a momentous year for the family of Jackson F. Johnson. A son, James F. Johnson, was born in March and a candy-tobacco company had its beginning in September. Both of these events occurred in the home of Jack and Rosa Johnson. Jack, a man of many talents, had a background in retailing and wholesaling everything from foods to caskets when he converted a room of their home into the candy-tobacco company in September 1947, a company he named J. F. Johnson Candy & Tobacco Co.
Jack began sub-jobbing from another wholesaler and made deliveries with the family car. As a young boy, James, called Bucky by his friends, began accompanying his father as he serviced stores primarily in the Batesburg-Leesville and Johnston areas of South Carolina. Bucky would listen as customers called out their orders to his father and would go out to the truck and begin pulling that order.
The number of customers grew steadily and the foundling company soon outgrew the Johnson home. J. F. Johnson Candy & Tobacco Co. was moved across the street into a brick dairy barn that had just been completed, a dairy barn that cows never got to enter.
Jack Johnson was not satisfied with the prospects of solely being a sub-jobber, and by 1959 was seriously considering getting out of the business. But Jack got a major break that established J. F. Johnson Candy & Tobacco Co. for good. American Tobacco Company put the now twelve year old company on direct. American was the first and the other tobacco companies soon followed suit.
When Jack decided to retire in 1971, Bucky was more than ready to assume the leadership of the growing company. Under his direction, a new facility was constructed in 1975, a facility still in use today. In 1977 Bucky bought out his father’s interest in the business and applied for incorporation.
The business was operated as J. F. Johnson Candy & Tobacco, Inc. until 1985 when, feeling that the name was somewhat deceiving due to the variety of products and services offered, it was changed to J. F. Johnson, Inc. A major expansion project was undertaken in 1996 and completed in 1997.
J. F. Johnson, Inc. is committed to excellent service for all of its customers.
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| J.F. Johnson, Inc. is a proud member of the South Carolina Association of Convenience Stores,
the American Wholesale Marketers Association and the Southern Association of Wholesale Distributors.
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