The News-Gazette sat down with Greg Johnson, the owner of Straws in Buena Vista, to talk about who he is, how he got started, the struggles the business has overcome, and where he hopes his business will be in the future.
Greg Johnson, age 40, has technical training through the Air Force and finished his associate's degree in general studies through the SVU and BYU Idaho Pathways programs. Three of his grandparents were in the Army and Air Force, his dad and brother are currently in the Air Force. His mom's side of the family is from South Carolina. He has a son, 12, one foster daughter at home, 17, and is adopting her older sister who is going to be 21.
How long have you owned this business?
I hit 3 years open on July 4th of 2025. It was my ex-wife’s original idea. I attended SVU in 2016/2017. I am very close with a lot of the residents and they all thought it was a great idea to have a soda shop. And no one had really done it yet. So, we found a reason to come back in 2022. And we just did it. We just decided to try it and it's been really fun. It's been a learning experience.
What turned an idea into action?
Um, having some funding to start it. So, we lived in Utah and the housing market boomed. We didn't like our jobs. We were both working full time, our son was in full-time care so we saw each other a few hours a night, and we were just working to afford the house. So after the market boomed we sold it and we had enough money to put money down on a new house, or a 125 year old house, here and money to start a business. So we were able to come back to a place we loved to be and start something kind of scary.
What is your mission and your dream for the business?
For the business, my mission and dream was always initially to have somewhere for the kids to go. It's growing into what I want it to be: sustaining for me and my family - financially. So we're getting there, the town is growing, we're getting more interest from outside areas, people coming through and seeing all the fun businesses and the energy that we have out here. Before, when I was here at school, I saw there were a lot of kids just kind of hanging out in parks and walking the streets. I just remember growing up in a very safe town like this, except my town had stuff to do - somewhere to go hang out. So that was my initial thought and that's why we started with soda. And then our Friday activities: we just have a free activity every Friday for people to come do regardless.
What are the three main struggles that your business has faced and how did you overcome them?
I have not overcome all of them. I have no business background. My ex-wife had a science background, also no business. So we learned as much as we could prior to opening. Most of the learning came from trial and error while operating. So I think if we had done some business classes, more research into Virginia tax. That would be a big one: taxes. I'm not good at individual taxes. Business taxes are a lot more complicated and luckily I have a family that's very good with taxes so they're learning. They know Utah taxes but they're learning Virginia and helping you with that. So one huge hurdle is taxes, still overcoming it. Two: I would say maintaining inventory and balancing cost to profit. It's not something I think too much about because I just want to have the products for the customers and sometimes that hurts me. The initial transition to sole business owner and understanding the requirements, tax wise, you know? All the certifications, licensing, and then navigating things like what I'm allowed to do as far as copyright. There's just a lot to consider when you have not only a restaurant but something could infringe on music copyright or movies. I don't play any movies that are out of the public domain. Yeah, so there's a lot of hats that I have to try and wear. There's a lot of everyday struggles I guess but for the most part I love what I do because I get to be around people I love all the time.
Do you have any tips or advice for someone who legitimately wants to open a business that will last?
Okay being a small town, the best advice I would give is: don't be competitive because we're too small to not support each other. That, I think, has made a big difference in the last few years. Not that there were a lot of options, or that there are a lot of options now, but advertising each other, supporting each other regardless of what we sell or what our goals are has been a huge help to my business. And, should I open other businesses, I'd like to incorporate as many local businesses as I can so that I can advertise, because it helps me when people who pass by and see my business and then they say ‘oh I didn't know you had this in town’ and vice versa. So yes, I think the best advice for this town, this region: don't be competitive.
