By Wayne Laepple
SUNBURY — Losing the race for mayor hasn’t deterred Scott Johnson from seeking to better the city’s downtown.
It was Johnson’s idea to add three giant bows to storefronts along Market Street, including one on the building housing his bar, McGuigan’s Public House, which faces Cameron Park.
Johnson had the idea, but it was his mom, Laurie Johnson, and two other women who actually manufactured the eight-foot bow and ribbon wrapping his building at 266 Market St.
“They used 80 yards of fabric,” he said. “They stitched it to chicken wire to hold it in place.”
Johnson’s aunt bought the special water-resistant fabric in New York, he said.
“It was quite the feat to get it up there,” he said. “Climbing up on a 40-foot ladder to get it in place was pretty scary.”
The ladder and the chicken wire were donated by Cole’s Hardware.
Johnson said he’d seen similar bows on buildings in metropolitan areas.
“It’s something classy but not too flashy,” he said.
In addition to the bow on his building, smaller ribbons and bows are on Window World and the Squeeze In. Johnson’s bow is bright red, while the one at Window World is blue and, at the Squeeze Inn, appropriately, mustard yellow.
Four other business owners have asked Johnson about making bows for next Christmas season.
“This is where we do business,” Johnson said. “We’re trying to do things for Sunbury.”
