“We’re no spring chickens, so we just have to keep walking”

Dan Burke
Dan Burke

Staff Writer

Oct 25, 2018

Couple walks Lowe's of Amherst, New Hampshire for 12 years

When people think of the alluring beauty of New England, many envision the rolling countryside dotted by bright red barns and the black and white patches of the dairy cows. The beautiful fall colors of a mixed hardwood forest and quaint towns along quiet country roads.

And then… there are the winters.

The ice-covered sidewalks, knee-deep snow and the slush-filled driveways can make it difficult to stay on your exercise regimen for even the most die-hard New Englander.

“I decided I don’t want to jump into snowbanks and it’s slippery with the ice,” said Mary Johnson, an avid outdoor walker from Amherst, New Hampshire. “It was much safer to come here.”

She and her husband, Jim, decided that in order to keep up their workout routine, they would walk indoors at the Amherst Lowe’s store. That was 12 years ago when the store first opened, and they haven’t stopped walking it since.

“So many of them have become, like friends,” said Mary, referring to employee at the store. “And we bring bread to them just to feed them to make them happy”.

The associates at the store have come to know the Johnson’s well over the years and have come to think of them as family.

“They care for us, and we care for them,” said store associate Laura Nunez. “That’s what family is. We definitely take care of each other.”