Jo Johnson was born and raised in Greensboro, NC. She was one of five children.
Her dad, Tommy Johnson, built the home and moved his family into it when Jo was six years old. She still owns that house to this day. When she was seven her dad passed away leaving her mom, Nancy, to fend for the young children on her own.
Jo’s brother, David, and Roland Gilliam, her younger sister’s husband, formed a construction company. Jo helped them build houses and apartments after she finished school.
A friend of theirs bought a lot in Brunswick County and wanted them to build a house. They prefabbed a house in Greensboro and brought it to Brunswick on a truck. Jo’s brother fell in love with Brunswick County. Jo said, “That’s all he could talk about when they got back home.”
By the time they got back her mom and new husband, Henry Campbell, were opening a seafood restaurant in Greensboro called “Campbell’s Crab House”.
Their friend sold his house shortly after and wanted them to build him another. This time after building the house David went home, packed and came back with his wife and two children to stay.
Later when Blue Water Point, at the west end of Oak Island on West Beach Drive, was for lease her mom and step-father relocatd “Campbell’s Crab House” in Brunswick County.
Jo and Nancy purchased their brother David’s house after his passing and furnished it with “The McNeill Co. furnishings”.
The McNeill Company started out as a used furniture business more than two decades ago on Oak Island by Martha and James McNeill.
Locals didn’t want the store to close when they saw a big sign that read “retirement sale”. Jo asked the McNeills if they wanted to sell the business. James said, “I just want to close the store.” Martha told Jo to come talked with James. He agreed to sell the store. Jo and her sister Nancy purchased The McNeill Co. and enlarged the store by 2,500 square feet and opened it on Aug 23, 2007.
They now carry gifts, accessories, furniture, lamps, cards, stuffed animals, toys, hand lotion, jewelry, SwitchFlops, signs of all shapes and sizes, gurgles, what nots, dodads and gizmos. They offer many custom and one of a kind items. They also offer an exclusive to The McNeill Co. in Brunswick and New Hanover Counties “Marie, by Giftcraft” (Marie Osmond).
Jo said, “A lot of my customers come in and they know I’m a big fan of Jimmy Buffett, ‘a Parrothead’, and the Carolina Tarheels. They come in to shoot the breeze with me and question me on different things. They’ll sit down on the furniture and I’ll say can I help you and they’ll say yes I’d like a margarita on the rocks or I’d like a frozen margarita. So one of these days I’m gonna surprise them and actually have my margarita machine in here. When they say that... I’m gonna serve them their little margarita.” She has a one of a kind sign uniquely designed proving she’s a big fan of Jimmy Buffett and the Carolina Tarheels and it’s placed on the back of her house.
Jo says the local ladies come to the store to shoot the breeze like the men do at their hangouts.
Jo lives in Oak Island and enjoys life to the fullest with her canine Carson, a Sheltie.