In 1955, 26-year-old Jay Lehman opened a tiny hardware store in the village of Kidron, Ohio. But this wasn’t just any small business start-up. Jay wanted to provide goods that the local Amish people needed. “I was concerned that someday the Amish would not be able to maintain their simple ways of life because these products would no longer be available,” he said.

Jay stocked his store with non-electric goods like oil lamps, wood-burning stoves, wringer washing machines and, later, gas-powered refrigerators. His vision was to preserve the past for future generations – a vision that’s expanded far beyond our Amish community!

Jay’s small shop in Kidron has grown into a 35,000-square-foot destination welcoming thousands of visitors each year. Gathering four pre-Civil War era buildings under one soaring roof and stocking thousands of products you probably thought weren’t made anymore, Lehman’s is a place for people to embrace the past and learn how they can make old-time skills part of their “modern” lifestyles.

Growing a garden, canning food, making cheese, keeping livestock, burning wood for fuel, cooking and baking from scratch – these are all skills our current society is rediscovering with a passion. With 60 years of experience, we are now positioned as the go-to experts on all things old-fashioned, which are now undeniably “in fashion!”

Today, we ship products all over the world through our print catalog and online store (Lehmans.com). With a strong presence on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube, we like to joke that we use “high-tech to sell low-tech.” The company may be much bigger, but the heart of Lehman’s remains the same: to help our customers live a simpler life.

In a beautiful twist, the Amish are now some of our most trusted vendors. Lehman’s now offers top-quality products made by Amish artisans from Ohio and beyond – everything from leather belts, to stovetop canners, to handcrafted furniture pieces and woven baskets. And so, six decades later, Jay Lehman is still helping the Amish maintain their way of life by supporting their home-based manufacturing businesses.

[huge_it_gallery id=”3″]

 

Besides the Amish, our loyal customers include missionaries, homesteaders, cabin dwellers, the chronically nostalgic, and even Hollywood set designers looking for historically accurate period pieces. We remain a family-owned and operated business, with Jay’s son Galen Lehman and daughter Glenda Lehman Ervin joining their father in his life’s work.

Our humble beginnings and Jay’s original vision keep Lehman’s grounded in our mission to provide “Simple Products for a Simpler Life.” Come see us in Kidron or connect with us online! We’d love to meet you.

Link to 60th anniversary video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqHVxcR2iXs

Lehman’s – A Link to the Past and A Road to the Future.