Lehman’s authentic products work for life
By Joanne Lehman
A visit to Amish Country is a reminder of simple ways and simpler times. For those who question their reliance on technology and for those who tire of innovations that create new burdens and fears, a trip to Lehman’s might provide hope. Here, visitors will find a way—many ways—to bring simplicity back to life in their own homes.
According to Glenda Lehman Ervin, vice president of marketing at Lehman’s, the world-renowned store in Kidron, people everywhere these days are increasingly concerned about three things—the economy, the environment, and what they eat. Lehman’s offers a huge variety of low-tech, durable items that help their customers achieve a new level of sustainable living.
“For instance,” said Lehman Ervin, “we have Amish-made clothes drying racks—very simple and old fashioned.” She has one installed in her own laundry room and uses it to dry clothes after a brief tumble in the dryer to release wrinkles. “It saves the clothes and it saves electricity and money,” she said. “It’s simple.”
Lehman Ervin said many families today are beginning to rethink their lifestyle and return to things their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents did. The emphasis on home and hearth is a boon to a business like Lehman’s. For instance, she recently read that seven million more families are gardening this year. Even busy families like her own are starting to cultivate a small backyard plot. She, her husband, and two children have a 10-by-10 foot garden. “How fun for the kids to go out and get a tomato for supper,” she said.
While many families will choose small steps, such as using a clothes drying rack in the laundry room or planting a container of herbs on the deck, others flock to Lehman’s because they know they can get most anything they need to live “off the grid.” Lehman’s non-electric catalog includes low-tech home appliances, axes, milking and livestock supplies, wood stoves, hand pumps, and many old-fashioned tools, kitchen gadgets, grain mills, and countless other necessities for those who aspire to homesteading.
Lehman’s was founded by Jay Lehman in 1955. A member of the Kidron community, he began the store to serve the local Amish people. Through the years, he’s seen the business grow and attract scores of visitors who are looking for the kinds of products that are hard to find elsewhere. For instance, Lehman’s provides missionaries, vacation homeowners, movie sets, and even the “chronically nostalgic” with durable items that they need. “Authentic products that work for life” is the phrase Lehman’s uses to describe their wares. Today, two of Jay Lehman’s children, Lehman Ervin and Galen Lehman, president of the company, operate the business. Their knowledgeable staff can help customers find whatever they’re looking for.
This massive, 32,000-square-foot retail store contains three pre-Civil War era buildings and features ample parking. The store was remodeled and enlarged in recent years, but continues to display museum quality antiques that line the walls and blend with the thousands of products incorporated into interesting displays. Separate areas feature toys (the old-fashioned kind that are hard to find these days), kitchenware, a lamp room with a vast collection of oil lamp replacement parts, a stove room and an eclectic collection of appliances that may look old-fashioned but are fitted with 21st century conveniences. The store also offers a book section that is the last word on country living skills and the Cast Iron Café where shoppers can get a quick, satisfying lunch or snack.
The Buggy Barn is an interesting place to spend some time and learn more about any number of topics. The Buggy Barn blends authentic antique hand-hewn wooden beams with scattered antique implements against a backdrop of wall murals by a local artist that depict the creatures that once lived in the old barn. Hickory church pews are arranged in this space for folks who want to watch a high-tech presentation about various old-time skills. At times, local homesteaders are on hand to demonstrate the use of a butter churn or give shoppers tips on vegetable gardens. If you’re lucky, you may catch a quilting demonstration.
An interesting phenomenon is Lehman’s use of high tech to sell low-tech products and educate their customers about how to use purchases. Lehman Ervin said that their company continues to employ the latest technologies to reach their customers.
“One-hundred-twenty-two million Americans, or 64 percent of the online population, use some form of social networking. Over half of those have befriended or become a fan of at least one brand,” she noted. Lehman Ervin added that people like to see and “get to know” the real people behind a favorite brand. For this reason, she tries to keep a face (most often her father, Jay Lehman) on the store’s advertising.
Lehman’s print catalog can be purchased for $5 at the store or
online. A free catalog is always available online at www.Lehmans.com. On the Web site, customers can click on the “subscribe” option and enter their e-mail address to receive a free online newsletter with helpful articles and special deals on products. The company hosts an interactive blog at http://countrylife.lehmans.com/.
Lehman’s, located at 1 Lehman Circle, in Kidron, is open Monday through Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with extended hours until 8 p.m. on Thursday and closed on Sunday. For further information, call Lehman’s at 330-857-5757 or 888-438-5346.
