News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Wesley and Teagan Johnston have taken the reins at The Pony Express.
Starting this week, there are new owners in the saddle at The Pony Express.
They may be new to the business, but they aren't new to Sisters: Wesley and Teagan Johnston grew up here, both graduating from Sisters High School in 2001, where they were high school sweethearts.
Wesley got his college degree in business, and he has applied that in helping with his father's business, Lynn Johnston Construction. He also spent several years scratching an itch to travel. He's been to Mexico and South America repeatedly and spent parts of the past nine years as a fly fishing guide in Alaska.
Deciding to establish a business in Sisters, Wesley said, "I've been kind of looking at what my options were."
Teagan, whose degree is in criminal justice, works for J-Bar-J Youth Ranch. Her father, Frank Dailey, was the listing agent for Sotheby's Realty in Sisters when The Pony Express came onto the market. He encouraged the couple to look into the enterprise.
As of this week, they are in business in Sisters. The couple recognizes that they are taking over an operation that Rick and Nadean Murray turned into a Sisters institution.
"For a while, we're pretty much going to operate the same way," Wesley said. "I think it would really upset people if we changed the business too extensively."
He does plan eventually to expand business services.
Teagan will continue to work at J-Bar-J and will help out at The Pony Express on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
The Johnstons acknowledged that they are coming into a business in the face of new competition from Bi-Mart. Wesley views that prospect with equanimity.
"I think it's going to affect our business in some ways and in other ways it's going to be OK," he said. "Bi-Mart is using our shipping services right now."
Johnston notes that the big retailer doesn't carry as deep an inventory of office supplies as The Pony Express does, and The Pony Express has the ability to special-order quickly.
Integrated services and customer service are keys to success, Johnston says.
"It's kind of a one-stop place for people," he said.
The Pony Express is located on the corner of Hood Avenue and Oak Street. For more information call 549-1538.
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.
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