Feature Story : Lehman's Hardware & Applian

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We have nothing like this in my country,” reads the guestbook at Lehman’s Hardware in Kidron, Ohio. The entry was written by a Japanese woman who was visiting the store on a recent trip to the U.S.

Her sentiments aren’t unique. Others have written similar comments in the guestbook at Lehman’s. If you read down through the signatures you’ll find visitors from different countries, providences and areas throughout our nation and world. As many as fourteen different states may be represented on any given day.

But what brings visitors, from all corners of the earth, to Lehman’s at the corner of Kidron and Emerson roads?

Well, according to Glenda Lehman Ervin, director of marketing and daughter of founder Jay Lehman, there are two types of visitors that make their way to Lehman’s Hardware day after day— the “curious” and the “serious.”

“We have a very unique store,” Ervin said, “and we actually cater to two groups, the ‘curious’ and the ‘serious’. The curious are those customers that come to Lehman’s to see the unique and completely authentic products we offer from the past. No other store or business in the world does what we do and many people find that interesting.

The second group of Lehman’s customers are the serious, the people that decisively choose to live a different lifestyle. Some people want to live in an area that has no electrical capabilities or they decide to live without using electricity for environmental reasons. More and more people are also opting to grow and process their own foods, and live a life that is a replica of the past. For these customers, Lehman’s provides the products that make their goal of living a more organic and earth friendly lifestyle a possibility.”

Founded by Jay Lehman in 1955 to serve the local Amish and others without electricity, Lehman’s ships old-fashioned, high-quality merchandise all over the world.

According to Jay Lehman, his vision was to preserve the past for future generations.

“I was concerned that some day the Amish would not be able to maintain their simple ways of life because these products would no longer be available,” he said. “My goal was, and still is, to provide authentic, historical products to those seeking a simpler life.”

Lehman’s has recently undertaken a huge expansion which has been completed. The new showroom is open to the public.

“We really needed to expand,” Ervin said, “and it just so happened we were able to buy various properties that came on the market just north of us. We were also able to recycle 60 to 70 percent of two of those properties along with a warehouse and then move a third one. We were able to move many of our products that we sell through catalog into another warehouse and make use of even more space.”

As part of the expansion Ervin’s father, Jay, also purchased an authentic Amish buggy barn at an auction and then employed architects and other experts to deconstruct and move the barn to the hardware location. This barn will become the “Buggy Barn Cinema” and give visitors to Lehman’s a chance to see how low tech products are made and used in a very high-tech theater setting. A new eatery will also be added with the opening of the “Cast Iron Café,” which will feature sandwiches, drinks, soups and salads. New restrooms and a baby changing station are also being added, as well as many places to sit down and rest inside and outside of the hardware.

“We are so looking forward to the July 14 open house,” Ervin said. “We’ll have the cinema and the café up and running and customers will also notice more product space, sitting areas and a much larger and less congested corner with our new north entrance. We plan on having live music the day of the open house, free coffee from 8 to 10 a.m. and lots of free food samples.”

Ervin is proud to be a part of the Lehman family and said she and brother, Galen, who serves as president of the company, appreciate the fact that the store is a store of “merit.”

“We don’t do things the “easy” way at Lehman’s,” Ervin said. “We never have and never will. Back when dad began the store a lot of people sold what he was selling but as time went on and a lot of businesses changed or updated their inventory, he just stuck with it and continued to provide authentic products that work for life.”

Whether you’re ‘serious’ or ‘curious’—a trip to Lehman’s is sure to conjure up lots of memories from the past, as well as new interests in the present. Mark your calendar to visit the store for a nostalgic walk through the days of yesteryear.