Johnstons mark 10 years at The Pony Express

Last updated 9/3/2019 at Noon

Jim Cornelius

Lonnie Ilmberger, Karlene Crenshaw, and Teagan Johnston of The Pony Express. They’re marking 10 years of the Johnstons’ ownership.

During the first week of September in 2009, Wesley and Teagan Johnston took over ownership of The Pony Express.

The young couple knew as they were entering the shipping and office supplies business that they were going to have to adapt to change — and that’s been their focus for the past decade.

The Johnstons take pride in their “ability to adapt and change to provide customers with the latest and greatest services and products available” in a rapidly changing marketplace.

They’ve added an additional shipping scale and computer to serve customers more efficiently and upgraded copy machines to offer scanning and wireless printing options. They add services as appropriate to meet customer needs — such as offering passport photos with no appointment necessary and secure shredding services.

The shop continues to offer a range of shipping options: FedEx, UPS, and U.S. Postal Service.

They’ve added to their wares, with cell phone accessories, a wide selection of greeting cards by local artists, and a host of small gifts including keychains, magnets, journals, notepads, stickers, etc.

“What has not changed,” Teagan said, “is our high quality of customer service, our attention to detail.”

She expressed her appreciation for a committed staff, including Karlene Crenshaw, who has been with them since the beginning. And Lonnie Ilmberger, who has been there for the past two years — and there is no ignoring the value of Brewer, the shop dog.

Teagan foresees continued change in the business, with the office-supply end probably shrinking and the service end expanding.

“We want to be a thriving business that meets the needs of our community by providing excellent products and services with great customer service,” she said.

Johnston is a strong advocate of “shopping local” and supporting the Sisters economy.

Shopping local keeps small business alive, provides jobs and opportunities to people living in Sisters, and local businesses are often more adept at problem-solving for their customers than larger, more impersonal stores or online outfits.

“Sisters is a great community with lots to offer if you take the time to look around and enjoy it,” he said.

The Pony Express will host an open house on Friday, September 6, as a way of saying “thank you” to the community that has supported them for the past 10 years. They invite the public to stop by.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.