FAMILY TRAVEL continued...
Jay Lehman founded the store in 1955 for the local com-
munity, but the company now has customers from 85 countries
and nearly half a million people shop here and at its two other
area stores every year. Sales also come from the catalog and
website. It is a leading supplier of historically accurate period
artifacts for major movies, and a popular shopping destination
for the off the grid crowd.
The watchword at Lehman’s is “old-fashioned” and this
concept is extolled here. One of the mottos of the store is “sim-
ple products for a simpler time.” The founder’s collection of
antiques is scattered throughout the building.
Ever think of washing clothes with a washboard? There
are a number for sale for washing or playing in a band.
This is the place for traditional wooden toys. The line of
Eli and Mattie toys are handmade by local Amish craftsmen
and women. They include children’s wooden furniture, doll
furniture, rocking horses, toy cars, and various stuffed animals
and dolls. There are also LEGOs galore here.
All sorts of food items are sold here including old fash-
ioned candies such as wax lips, Mallo cups, black licorice
pipes, sugar puffs, ribbon candy, and even Amish church mints.
The Soda Pop Shop offers more than 300 vintage style and
handcrafted sodas, including 70 varieties of root beer. There’s
also a café — perfect for a lunch break.
Even if your visit started out as “just looking,” it’s hard
not to leave without at least one purchase. I left with a stuffed
toy cow for a friend’s daughter, a pie carrier for my niece, and
a beautifully carved walking stick. Do you have people on your
gift list for whom it’s hard to find the perfect present? This
place probably has just the right gift.
Rides are also offered in authentic Amish buggies.
Nearby in Orrville is another traditional company store
and cafe: Smucker’s, that features the company’s products that
include Smucker’s, Jif, Dickinsons, Folgers, and Milk-Bone.
There is a café for lunch and a Sundae Shoppe for ice cream
and make-your-sundaes with Smucker’s toppings.
The focal point of the store is the wall of colorful Smuck-
er’s jars. Where else could you find a chandelier made of
Smucker’s jars?
The best feature for me is the station where you can choose
a custom label for jams, jellies, ice cream toppings, or pea-
nut butter jars. The process is simple: download a photo from
your phone and choose from a number of tag lines that include
“I’m nuts about you!” or “Preserving Memories” or create your
own. A few minutes later you will have a special jar with a
photo of your children, parents, grandparents or other family or
friends that could be a fun present.
In the back of the store, there are displays that trace the
company’s more than 120-year-old history to its founding by
Jerome Monroe Smucker in 1897. Throughout its long history
it has remained in the Smucker family and is now under the
direction of the fifth generation of the family.
Another must stop in Orrville is Shisler’s Cheese House
that bills itself as the “Best Little Cheese House in Orrville.”
44 WNY Family November 2018