Duane Johnson retires after 43 years in the local real estate business

Duane Johnson began visiting Cannon Beach in 1955 as a 12 year-old kid when his family would stay at a cabin owned by friends. In 1972, Duane and his wife Cheryl purchased a small cabin in Cannon Beach when their first son Michael was four years old; spending most of their weekends at their getaway on the coast.

After Duane and Cheryl decided to have another baby, they ended up with more than they expected; with triplets arriving the year after buying their beach cabin. In 1978, they made the decision to sell their home in Portland and become full-time residents of Cannon Beach, with Duane’s father living with them for almost twenty years until passing away at the age of 92.

While living in Portland, Duane worked in the mortgage business at First National Bank for several years, so after moving to the coast he spent his first year working at Ticor Title. Earning his real estate license, Duane began working at North Coast Properties; with Duane later becoming a partner in the company. After more than a decade at North Coast Properties, Duane struck out on his own in 1990 by starting Duane Johnson Real Estate.

Inspiring loyalty and lasting relationships, Duane said that he and the other brokers at Duane Johnson “were like family; we helped each other and had pizza together at the office every Wednesday afternoon. When we gathered for pizza it was supposed to be about business, but we usually just ended up talking about anything we wanted to.”

Jeff Etchison, who worked with Duane for more than 25 years, said that “Duane was one of my mentors and I learned so much from him. His approach was to let us be our own bosses and be self-motivated, which really had an impact on my life. Duane told us to be consistent, honest, and care about the community. He told us to be advisors and not sales people; to know the true value of the product and make sure the clients were making a good investment.” Jeff said that Duane had a core group of four full-time realtors that worked with him, as he felt that having less realtors was best so that they could all make a good living”.

Duane sold his real estate business in the summer of 2019, but continued his involvement in the company for another four years until August 2023. Turning 80 in January, Duane finally decided it was time to retire from working so he could spend more time playing.

Duane’s wife Cheryl owned and operated Geppetto’s Toy Shoppe on Hemlock Street for 35 years until 2017, and their son David currently owns and operates Fultano’s Pizza on Second Street in Cannon Beach.

Duane served as a member of the School Board for 22 years (12 as chairman) and spent 20 years as a volunteer with the Cannon Beach Fire District. He currently sits on the Clatsop County Ambulance Advisory Board (5 years) and the 3-member Fair Dismissal Appeals Board for the School District (15 years) Modest about his generous contributions to the community and his volunteer activities, Duane said he feels a loyalty to the community and does it because he wants to help people.

Duane and Cheryl love Cannon Beach and feel lucky to have lived here for so many years. Looking back on the earlier years, Duane said that the summer crowds in town used to fade away after Labor Day weekend. The entire community would throw a big party the weekend after Labor Day, and except for a few holiday weekends and spring break, the town wouldn’t see large numbers of visitors again until the next summer. Looking back at his 43 years in the local real estate business, Duane said what he values most are the people he met and the personal relationships he developed with many of his clients.

Asked what he plans to do in retirement, Duane said that besides enjoying and driving his collection of classic cars (his favorite is a 1937 Buick) he wants to spend more time with their four children and six grandkids, ranging in age from 10 to 27.

Duane added that “if anyone wants to talk about cars and look at a bunch of old stuff along with my old cars, I would love to show you my collections.” You can reach Duane by texting 503-939-2611.

Thank you Duane for all you have done for this community. There is something fulfilling in knowing that you lived your life with integrity and found success along the way. You are humble and not one to toot your own horn. We will wave when you cruise by in one of your classic cars and know that you are enjoying every minute of the drive. We hope that when you drive by you will toot your horn and wave back at us. Congratulations on a job well done!