Johnny Ruth — Attraction in St. John's

As the dense fog rolls through Water Street on a damp, chilly Sunday morning, swarms of new, young families and hungover college kids collecting their cars from a drunken yestereve, I pay them no mind. There is only one thing that entices me to do on a dreary St. John’s day, squander my afternoon away at Johnny Ruth. As the clock strikes noon across the way on the bearly visible clock tower on the Courthouse, the lights come to life in the shop which lighten the merchandise which therefore lightens my mood. The lock unlatches and what seems to be a sea of customers flood in to get clear of the miserable, mauzy day and forget about their problems of tomorrow. As I step in the shop I see a young employee in the back gulp down the last of her tea, a Toslow tea perhaps? A mystery I don’t plan on solving. As I meander through the wonderfully Newfoundland themed clothing, perfectly capturing the humour with what seems like every Newfoundlander is born with, it’s the puzzles that catch my eye. There is nothing better, in my mind anyways, then to sit back on a cold, foggy day to a beautiful puzzle, a perfectly assorted charcuterie board and a glass of red. After placing my new puzzle under my arm, I find my eyes wandering on something else to feast my shopaholic mind on. They lock on the table as I begin to pick through the pages of one of my favourite Newfoundland artists JC Roy. Perfection. As I leave the store with my tote bag heavier and my wallet lighter, I go on to face this dreadful day with my new puzzle, my new book, my new charcuterie board and my...

Over the years, I've always enjoyed stopping into Johnny Ruth and making a purchase once in awhile, whether it be a new item of clothing or a pair of shoes.

The current Covid-19 situation that we're in has caused us to re-evaluate how people do business and I was so excited that JR went online. I was looking for some new clothes and was able to find a couple of things I really liked. My enthusiasm was increased by the fact that they were doing drop offs in the St. John's area! I received my purchases and as always, was delighted!

I've always felt a welcome / comfortable atmosphere stepping into Johnny Ruth and everyone who works there has always been kind / helpful. Kim and her team have also been successful in bringing this warmth into the online side of their business (which can't be easy to do).

Easily my favourite place to shop...

We bought a few items Friday afternoon. My girlfriend also wanted to purchase a dress but it had been stretched by the tagged right in the middle of the chest and so we wanted make sure it would steam flat before buying it. We were told they steamed it out and we could pick it up Saturday. We came back around noon the next day and it still wasn’t done. They said they’d steam it quickly and after fifteen minutes it still wasn’t done. We said we’d go for lunch and come back and grab it. We came back an hour and a half later and yet again it still wasn’t done! We dealt with Maddie in all three encounters....terrible. We left without...