Nashua News

Driving around Nashua, many people may recognize Johnson’s Electric Supply as a downtown staple, but not everyone may realize just how long the company has been serving our community’s electrical needs. Celebrating its 100^th year of business, Johnson’s Electric opened its doors in 1912, several years before some New Hampshire towns, like Merrimack, even had electricity.

“Many of his friends and family told him he was crazy and electricity was just a fad. Now we can’t do without it,” said Johnson’s Electric President Peter Johnson of his great-grandfather Everett Johnson, who founded the company at age 21.

At this time, Johnson said the company focused on replacing ice boxes with electric refrigerators, and gas lights with electric ones. Considering the inventiveness of electricity, it wasn’t long before Everett hired a crew of electricians to comply with the area’s high demand.

Originally located on Park Street. near the Nashua Public Library, Everett moved Johnson’s Electric Supply, then known as Johnson’s Electric Shop, in the 1920s to 209 Main St., where the business thrived.

“He was the number one dealer for Westinghouse appliances for the New England area for many years,” Johnson said.

Twelve years after the company was incorporated and became Johnson’s Electric Supply, Inc., Everett passed away in 1969, leaving the business to Peter Johnson’s grandparents Ernie and Ileene, and father Greg. After graduating college in 1984, Peter Johnson entered the business full-time.

“In 1986 we moved the company to 18 Harbor Ave., still maintained a lighting and appliance showroom but eventually focused on electrical work instead of appliance sales,” Johnson said.

For appliance sales, the family embarked on a new business venture, opening the doors to Just Lights, their retail lighting store on Main Street, in 2000.

“Since we always sold lighting it was a natural progression for us to open the showroom,” Johnson said. “Last year was the best year in its 11-year existence.”

Around this same time, Johnson and family moved the electrical portion of Johnson’s Electric to its current location at 29 Front St., and Johnson became the company’s president following his father’s retirement.

Now a fourth-generation family business, Peter Johnson works alongside his brother Kurt, the company’s vice president, his sister Pam, the secretary, and his sister Heather, who serves as the treasurer. Johnson’s wife Tamie founded Just Lights with him, and eventually assumed responsibility for the daily operations of the company, while Johnson focuses primarily on the electrical contracting.

“In all we have nine family members involved in some form or fashion in the company,” Johnson said.

As a family business owner, Johnson said he feels it’s important to support the small family businesses in our area.

“How many cities can boast so many multigenerational family run companies as we have in downtown Nashua?” he asked. “I am a strong believer in doing business with people I do business with. If they are my customer I want to be theirs as well.”

One of these local family businesses with which Johnson works is Eaton & Berube Insurance Agency, Inc., in Nashua and Milford, N.H. Relying on Eaton & Berube for his business insurance, worker’s compensation, commercial auto coverage, and group health insurance allows Johnson more time to focus on running his own businesses.

“Running two businesses is a challenge, so it’s nice to know I don’t need to spend a lot of time on insurance issues,” Johnson said. “Marc [Berube], Tom [Welden], Cathy [Beauregard], and all the people I have dealt with over the years have always been receptive to our concerns and needs.”

Working with Eaton & Berube for more than 10 years, Johnson said he has found it beneficial to have someone to advocate on his behalf, especially in the event of a claim.

“We’ve had a few claims and if we ever had a problem with the insurance company, someone from Eaton & Berube would straighten it out,” he said. “It’s nice to know you have someone in your corner when you have a problem.”

For additional information about Johnson’s Electric Supply, please call 603-882-9757. Just Lights can be reached via phone at 603-578-9482 or online at: www.justlights.com.