The Story of John’s Trading Co.

It was 1943 and John Eby was ready for a change… he had been turned down for military service for a childhood medical problem, and was working for the railroad that came through town. He found himself in the situation of having to take care of not only his wife, June, and daughter, Lynda, but also his parents.  It was wartime, and durable goods were scarce and credit was hard to come by.  He had an idea of how to provide a service to lower income people and make a living at the same time.

  He started buying and selling used merchandise on “terms”.  There was no interest charged in those days, just a promise to pay something each week.  He found an old house that he converted to a business in the downtown area of Monroe, Louisiana, and began with  $110.00 in merchandise.  By August of 1943, he had 179.24 in cash and 690.28 account receivable. He kept a little notebook with the first crude accounting of the company.  

He would buy, repair and sell used furniture and old stoves and refrigerators and began to sell hardware items also.  People in the area began to know him as a man who would treat them with honesty and respect, and his business began to prosper.  The business continued to grow through the years adding hardware, furniture and general merchandise.  His family also grew; John C. Eby Jr. was born in 1944, and a second daughter, Leah in 1958.   

He became involved in community activities, especially supportive of church activities and was an original member of the local Boys and Girls Club.  

"Mr. John" as he was called, became a well-known businessman in the community.

As one of his good customers said…"He's tough…but he's fair".  Mr. John liked that assessment of himself.  

In 1979, John C. Eby Jr. and his wife, Sandra took over the day to day operation of the business and in 1999, Mr. John's grandchildren, John C. Eby III, and Wesley Eby Johnson and husband Bruce joined the firm.  

Mr. John kept "retiring" on a regular basis from 1979 to 1996…. He was still driving his little red truck to work, up until the time of his death in 1996. We all knew he wouldn't really retire until then. He was 81, and still "tough but fair".  

For 57 years, John's Trading Company, has sold general merchandise to a diverse group of customers.  People from all walks of life, and different backgrounds have called themselves customers.  John's Trading Co. still believes the concepts that made the business successful from the beginning still apply today… Integrity, Honesty, Fairness, and a good value for your money.  

Mr. John never liked flashy ads, promotions, sales, and gimmicks. He used to say that John's Trading Co. was like the Tortoise in the story of the "Tortoise and the Hare".  Just steady…here for you today and after the sale too.  

We hope that you will try us… Like we tell our regular customers.."We can't promise that if you buy here you will never have a problem… But we can promise you it will be solved"

                                                                             John C. Eby Jr. (Chris)

                                                                             John C. Eby, III  (Christian)  

                                                                             Bruce and  Wesley Johnson                                                        

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