Lehman's holding inaugural Amish Vendor Day on Aug. 12
These Amish hand-crafted baskets, signed and dated on the bottom, will be among the items on sale on Aug. 12 when Lehman's holds its first Amish Vendor Day.
Wanting to make sure the Amish wares that make up a large part of their business get their due, along with the people responsible for making all those goods, the people at Lehman’s have scheduled the inaugural Amish Vendor Day.
On Saturday, Aug. 12 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Kidron retail giant will host a panel discussion featuring a quartet of speakers to discuss the Amish and their products and traditions.
“We’re providing an outlet, along with all the marketing, to sell those products,” said Glenda Lehman Ervin, Lehman’s director of marketing. “Keeping that tradition alive is very important to us.”
What was supposed to include a lunch and class will now just feature a panel discussion. Due to stalled ticket sales, the lunch and class will take place this fall.
“We’re seeing that a lot in the summer,” Ervin said. “In the spring and fall, our classes and workshops tend to sell out. Next year we’re going to hold one at a different time.”
Featured in the panel discussion will be David Kline, publisher of Farming Magazine; Marcus Yoder, director at Amish and Mennonite Heritage Center; Marlin Miller, publisher of Plain Values Magazine; and Ernie Hershberger, owner of Homestead Furniture.
Among things Ervin said could be discussed are some of the misconceptions of the Amish, which may have come about in part due to popular culture’s portrayals.
“Two of them are Amish, and two grew up Amish who are now living in the community and are English,” Ervin said of the panelists. “They want to give correct information about their faith, family and traditions.”
Tickets are required to reserve seats for the panel discussion. Tickets are free. They can be obtained at Eventbrite.com.
The vendor day is the first installment of what Ervin said the store hopes will be an annual event to commemorate the community known for its skill at creating things for all purposes.
“We have so many Amish vendors, and we greatly appreciate what they bring to the table as far as their craftsmanship and products. My father opened the store to serve the Amish. My dad greatly admired their way of life and wanted to make sure they still have the products to maintain their way of life,” Ervin said.
Among the things Lehman’s celebrates is the creativity of the Amish and the way the idea that necessity is the mother of invention is proved from time to time.
“We have a new garden tool called a precision hoe,” Ervin said. “An Amish farmer didn’t like any of the tools on the market, so he invented his own. And now we sell it.”
That inventiveness and the Amish ability to adapt are things always on display at Lehman’s and part of what the store hopes to celebrate now and in future vendor days. In between, people visiting the store will have plenty of items for their perusal.
“Those products are always available,” Ervin said. “Sometimes we forget how unique that connection is and how important it is for us. It keeps those skills alive from one generation to the next.”
For those wanting a quick glimpse into the world of Amish-made products, visit www.lehmans.com/category/Amish-made and you can peruse more than 130 items from rockers to belts, from cradles to brooms. Items range from less than $7 to more than $1,600.