COMMUNITY COMMENTARY:

Sadly, a little bit of Magnolia Park has left us. Frank Johnson, owner of the White Elephant, the famed antique store, passed away in January, leaving behind a treasure trove of unused books, tin boxes, jewelry and stopwatches.

In the 1980s, I chanced to stop in Frank and JoAnn Johnson’s little shop and was very pleasantly surprised by the fair prices.

Over the years, I met another wonderful customer, Charles Guthrie, who also came into the shop.

Charles was blessed by a great knowledge of dolls, and in addition to buying and selling his used dolls, Charles would also stick around long enough to walk JoAnn’s little black poodle mix. How nice it was of him to do this!

In more recent years, after JoAnn passed away, I didn’t see Charles any longer, but a gentleman whom I’d met when I worked at the American Way Thrift Store started to befriend Frank, and his name is Jack.

Since Frank passed away, I’d only seen Jack once, but I was glad he could help Frank run his store while Frank took the time off to see his doctor. One day, when I went up to see Frank, Jack told me he had passed away. My heart sank, and I knew an era of antique stores had, more or less, come to an end.

While lots of great new stores have filled in spaces on Magnolia Boulevard, Frank’s White Elephant marks the end of a very colorful history of Magnolia’s merchants. Gone are the Red Barn, Aunt Maggie’s Attic, El’s Eclectica, Albin’s Drugstore, Second Debut and many others too far from my memory now.

But every boulevard has its heyday. Luckily, Mary La Shaum’s Antiques and the Hubba Hubba are still with us, as well as Best of Times, Junk for Joy and the American Way Thrift Store.

Having grown up here in Burbank, I enjoyed getting to know some of these longtime store owners, some friendly and courteous, others eccentric or funky. In those golden days, Magnolia had a little something for everyone who happened to be a collector of all things vintage. Sadly, with the current recession and the loss of the White Elephant, I have had to go back to doing most of my vintage collecting at the American Way and Junk for Joy. Older now, and less able to get around, I choose to stay in my neck of the woods, for it is here where I have witnessed many small businesses come and go over the years, and hence, the history of Magnolia Boulevard.

Frank was a very honest and sincere man, knowledgeable in collectibles, and he will be very sorely missed by all those who knew him. While I have faith that Magnolia Boulevard will continue to shine brightly with many newer and exciting shops such as Bare Sole, Rocks and Runes and It’s a Wrap, Frank’s little White Elephant will be a memory I’ll cherish forever, as well as his friendly smile and helpful advice. A star will shine forever for Frank and JoAnn Johnson.

 JODI H. LAWSON is a Burbank resident.