Our History

Family owned and true to our Vermont roots.

The story of Johnson Farm & Garden, Hardware & Rental began in 1988 when, Claude and Patty Lehouiller, along with their son Alan, converted 1600 sq. feet of their original dairy barn and milking parlor into a small country farm and garden store. In the beginning, they sold hay & corn from their own fields, grain, shovels, and some gardening supplies. It became the place where locals went for their farming supplies or just to shoot the breeze with Claude, who was well liked for the lollipops he gave out to the kids. 

Alan continued to work the farm; haying, maple sugaring, doing side jobs with his bulldozer, logging, and handling the heavier tasks and building improvements of his parent's newly found garden store. 

While running their store, Alan and his parents have also put on several "live" events in their hayfields;  including the notorious, 3-day summer Vermont Reggae Festivals, National Mud Bog Races, and the Johnson Rodeo; where Alan rode a Bull for a solid 8 seconds and broke his ankle doing so!

Alan and Lynn started working together, making Christmas wreaths and garlands, stacking wood, fixing sugar lines, while seeding lawns for new developments and homes. It's the latest that opened the doors to their newly found business, "Johnson Rentals". 

One day after seeding lawns, they left their york rake at the end of their driveway, alongside Route 15. A passerby pulled over and asked if he could use it and perhaps, "Rent It" for a day or two- and that's what brought to fruition,  the idea of "Johnson Rentals" which was established in 1996.  They renovated some of the old dairy barn (next to Alan's parent's store) into a separate Equipment Rental business and with the help of another farmboy, Ernie Gilbert, (Owner/Operator of First Choice Equipment Rentals. Colchester, Vt.)  they bought their first line of equipment.

Fun fact: Trevor Rusell, who is currently our "Outside Sales Representative" for Johnson Farm & Garden, Hardware & Rental, first met Alan & Lynn when he was 16 years old, working customer service at First Choice!

Sadly, in 1998, Claude Lehouiller suddenly passed, doing what he loved best, "throwing hay bales with a friend in a barn". He never did see the first of many store additions that Alan & his friends had completed; however, the newly renovated space served as a wonderful Repast for all of Claude's Family & Friends. Claude always enjoyed a gathering that entailed good food and a "two-fingered shot" which was toasted by all that night.

In 2000, Alan and Lynn recognized they needed, "Hardware" to complement their, "Rentals", and that's when they were accepted into Do It Best Corporation, a Hardware member Co-op, adding to their name, "Johnson Hardware & Rental" 

Patty, along with Alan & Lynn continued to run both Johnson Farm & Garden and Johnson Hardware & Rental, undergoing multiple renovations, expanding the store even more. In 2016, Patty retired, allowing Alan and Lynn to merge both stores into one, with yet another expansive renovation using up the last of the dairy barn; creating Johnson Farm & Garden, Hardware & Rental. Since then, the store has grown, along with Alan & Lynn's three children, into a destination store with a 25,000 foot retail space that sells everything from Milwaukee Power Tools to Patagonia summer dresses.

This now second generation family-run store has certainly expanded from its humble beginnings, but just like when Claude and Patty first opened their doors more than 30 years ago, family is still at the core of the business. Johnson Farm & Garden, Hardware & Rental employs a large team of fiercely loyal locals, many of whom have been with the store for more than 20 years. The almost non-existent turnover rate attests to the family friendly atmosphere that Lynn and Alan Lehouiller have built- it's still one big family run business, just with a much bigger family. But with all the changes over the years, some things have stayed the same. Alan and his 3 children continue to hay the fields and now help their parents with the store along with the "rest of their family", and kids visiting the store still get Claude's lollipops.