Page 3 - TL Locally Owned Business April 2017

Advertising Supplement Tri-Lakes Edition of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Sunday, April 30, 2017 • 3TT
JOHNSTONʼS HOME CENTER
Appliance store keeps community humming
Johnston’s Home Center has offered sewing machine sales and service to Benton and the surrounding areas since 1979.
After working in a Singer sewing- machine store in Magnolia for a few years, owner Joe Johnston and his wife, Kristin, saw an opportunity when Benton’s Singer store went up for sale. The couple bought the business and have expanded to include home appliances as Johnston’s Home Cen- ter, but the sewing-machine side of the business is going strong.
“In our sewing department, we have one of the largest displays of software and machines of any store, probably, in the state,” Kristin said.
Joe and Kristin’s daughter, Billie Jo Crocker, manages the sewing department. The store stocks sewing machines, embroi- dery machines and quilting machines, as well as software for the latest models.
Kristin said the store’s staff has worked hard to keep up with changes in the sewing industry and in computerized sewing mac- hines. The store carries sewing-machine
models from Brother, Baby Lock and Juki. “The machines have gone to where you do a lot of your work on the computer and then take it to the machine to stitch it out,” she said. “The technology has just grown
with the computer age.”
The store carries appliances in Maytag,
GE, Samsung and Frigidaire brands along with Serta bedding, Samsung and Sony electronics, Miele, Riccar and Oreck vac- uums and it now has Husqvarna and Dixie Chopper lawnmowers including zero-turn and push mowers. The shop services all makes and models of lawn equipment.
In addition to sales, the store offers several classes during the week on sewing machines, techniques and software. The store also has three sewing-machine tech- nicians to perform repairs.
Johnston’s Home Center is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
BANANA GRAPHICS
Local access ‘appeeling’ to customers
Uniqueness is a quality that the Kirk family enjoys bringing to Benton. After buying Banana Graphics in 2012, Sara and Petey Kirk wanted to focus on branding needs for their customers by providing various types of screen printing, embroi- dery and promotional needs.
“Our main focus is quality and service,” Sara said. “We’re family run and our goal is to do everything we can for our customers. If the customer wants something we hav- en’t seen before, we do what can to find it.”
Aside from a memorable name, the owners of Banana Graphics strive to con- sistently have friendly faces and person- able conversations with every customer, focusing on the customer service rather than just the sale, she said.
“We’re one of the few shops left where you can walk in and talk to somebody,” she said. Rooted in the heart of down- town Benton, the family-run shop offers T-shirts, jackets, caps, coffee cups and flash drives and countless other promotional
products, all personalized for businesses, schools, churches and sports teams.
“When customers think of Banana Graphics, I’d like for them to think of a company that can help them get their brand out,” Kirk said. “That’s what we’re here for — to get their name out and help with branding.”
Banana Graphics strives to really listen to the customers’ needs by making sure that they’re finding the right product for them, whether it’s T-shirts, hats or other promo items. What makes Banana Graph- ics stand out is its ability to decorate all apparel in-house.
The Kirks have nearly 30 years of com- bined experience in the industry. Along with two other employees, Temeeka Stew- ard and James Quick, Banana Graphics works to instill a positive workplace in Saline County.
1423 Military Road • Benton 501-315-6697 • www.johnstonshomecenter.com
ZEE BH2460KW as low as
$8430
A Month 60mo @ 3.99%
• 23hp Kawasaki motor
• 3 year motor warranty
• 3 year bumper to bumper
warranty on machine • 48” Cutting deck
BLACKHAWK BH2460KW as low as $14049
A Month 60mo @ 3.99%
• 3 year motor warranty • Kawasaki 24hp motor • 4 year bumper to bumper warranty on machine • 9mph ground speed • Full in store service • 60”deck
105 S. Market St. • Benton 501-315-9000 • www.bananagraphicsbenton.com