TYLER, Texas — On September 1, 1965, Leroy Johnson opened up a one-stop shop in Tyler with everything from gas to food and clothes.
Johnson's Grocery is not only a resource for the East Texas community, but also a staple in the community.
RELATED: How to change a street name in Tyler
"The community relies on us to keep our doors open," Palanda Gordon, Johnson's granddaughter, says..
Desolate land laid along Highway 31 in Tyler 55 years ago when Johnson decided to open up shop with the purpose of creating a community.
"It wasn't a community up here and our grandmother was gonna sell her land to the community — Jackson Heights," said Johnson's granddaughter Jodie Browning. "So, she encouraged him [Johnson] to put the store here."
Growing up, the store also stood as classroom for life lessons. The father of 12 served as their teacher.
"Always try to have your own thing so you don't have to borrow it from people. He was always his own boss," Ora Dean, Johnson's daughter, said.
Because of racial tensions, running a store in the 60s wasn't always easy.
"We had problems getting gas and different things for the store," Browning said. "Sometimes we got shipped some stuff that was old and he had to stay on top of stuff like that making sure we got good quality stuff and not the stuff that nobody else returned."
Throughout the years, one thing is for sure, they've always had support from neighbors. This support continued for the next generation leading the store.
"We don't have very many Black-owned businesses that've been around as long as we have," Gordon said.
Gordon now owns Johnson's Grocery with the help of her husband and mother.
"We are a family owned business," Gordon said. "We love being here. We love serving the community."
And lessons from Johnson remain ready to be passed to on for generations to come.