W. H. "Shag" Johnson Plumbing and Electrical Company

A little history about the building...

Photo Courtesy:  Deborah L. Burgess

This photo was taken of the front entrance of what used to be W. H. Johnson Plumbing Company which was located at 506 W. Laurel Street, Scottsboro, Alabama. The photo shows the original structure’s front entrance. Notice the old cast iron tub still crated right in front of the window! This building has been renovated and the original was completely removed and a new structure built in its place. There was a major renovation to the building when my Dad purchased the property. He took over the business and the name was changed to Johnson Plumbing and Electrical Co. The company was the oldest plumbing company in Jackson County. It was in business for over 50 years. When the plumbing company closed, the building sat empty for several years. My mother and I made the decision to open a new business in the building and D.J.’s Unclaimed Baggage company was born. We bought unclaimed baggage, took it apart and sold the contents of the luggage and the suitcases in which it was packed. The business proved to be very successful. I managed the business for several years and it grew to the point that additional help was needed so my husband left his job to help run the operation. The business was restructured as Burgess Unclaimed Baggage and was in operation for about 20 years. The unclaimed baggage business was very successful but very demanding, but that is another story that I soon will be sharing on my blog. 
                                                A Burgess Unclaimed Baggage sign painted on part of the side of the building.  
 It is now the home of The Bag Unclaimed, which my daughter, Melanie, operates. My Grandfather is standing in the center drinking a Coca-Cola from one of the old returnable glass, city-stamped on the bottom, bottles! I pulled many of those old bottles from the old red round top Coca-Cola machine which was located right inside the front door on the right wall. The Cokes were a nickel each but I remember when the price went up to six cents! The Coke Co. didn’t change out the coin slots in the machine when the price changed so my Grandfather put a little plastic cup on the machine for customers to put the extra penny when they made their purchase. It was done on the “honor system” completely. I remember the little cup was always full of pennies! My Dad, W. H. “Shag”, Jr. is leaning against the galvanized pipe post on the corner of the entrance. They used many plumbing supplies as part of the construction of the building. The gentleman sitting on the front porch immediately to the right of my Grandfather, is Grady Weeks. He was one of the best plumbers in this part of the country! He worked for the company for 40 years or more before retiring. He and his wife, Dorothy, and their only son, LeRoy, lived right across the street on the corner of Laurel and Cedar Hill Drive. I am unsure of the names of the other two gentlemen’s names. The old home place building was located just to the right of the business so it was an easy walk for everyone to get up and walk to work! They all had the convenience of not only being able to walk to work, they were right there for breakfast, dinner and coffee breaks! 

                 
Note:  Please excuse the quality of the newspaper clipping.  It is a bad copy of the original but I wanted to include it in my post.


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