The sign over the storefront of the 800 square foot shop read Henry R. In April 1893, using his savings, and those of his oldest brother, Clifton, he purchased a small stationery and notion shop from Miss S. Henry spent five and a half years working for Gill before deciding to go into business for himself. Gill’s prestigious book, stationery and art store at the corner of Bridge and Main Streets. After a two and a half year apprenticeship there, Henry came to Springfield to take a position at James D. His brother, Henry, also dropped out of school at the age of 16 in 1885 and went to work at the same store to help pay off that debt.

He got a job at the College Bookstore, in order to pay off the mortgage to prevent foreclosure on the family farm. He rowed across the Connecticut River and walked into Northampton, a distance of over two miles. Clifton dropped out of school in 1880 at age 15. Henry followed in his oldest brother Clifton’s footsteps, attending the same village school, followed by enrollment in Hopkins Academy in Hadley. He also had a younger sister, Jeannette, born in 1872. He was the youngest of three brothers Clifton was born in 1865 and Charles was born in 1867. and Jeannette Reynolds Johnson in “the long, lazy hamlet of Hockanum,” a part of Hadley, Massachusetts, on April 7 th, 1868. Henry Reynolds Johnson was born to Chester L.

As those department stores closed, Johnson’s became a destination in itself. A trip downtown to shop at the city’s department stores was often paired with a visit to Johnson’s to look at the books, toys, and gifts. It was one of the largest independent booksellers in New England and its store letterhead and advertising reflected that, reading “Johnson’s Bookstore, The Largest Store of Its Kind in New England.” It was a favorite haunt for many people of all ages who lived in the Springfield area. Over its lifetime the store occupied five successively larger Main Street locations, all within a few blocks of each other. It was owned and managed by four generations of the Johnson family until its closing in 1997. Johnson’s Bookstore, an iconic Main Street institution in Springfield, Massachusetts, for over a century, was established by Henry R.

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