“We’re Very Grateful”: West Virginia Amish Man Goes On Camera To Thank Locals For Support As New Store Opens
West Virginia has been a “hotspot” Amish state for some time now. Since 2017, a dozen new Amish communities have arisen in the Mountain State.
One of them is in Monroe County, WV. The county, in fact, has two very small communities. In one of them, an Amish entrepreneur named Jeff Miller and his family have established a new store – Appalachian Country Store – to serve the area’s food needs. Yesterday was the store’s grand opening.
Up until now, many people in the area have apparently found driving out of state, to Virginia, to be the most convenient way to get groceries. Now they have a more local option.
Miller came to Monroe County a year and a half ago with his family. “People were very kind and welcoming to us,” he says in a report by WVVA. Miller explains that he got ideas on what was needed from locals, as they supported his family by helping them with transport:
“First off, people were very welcoming to us. They were very kind and welcoming us to the community, and they did anything to help us out. Especially in particular even like, us being Amish and not having as readily available transportation, people would offer, ‘Can I take you here? Can I take you there?’,” continued Miller.
“And on those trips with local people, we’d talk, and I’d get a feel for what they wanted, and now with this being done, the people that supported us very well, I feel like we’ve kind of really grown into it, and we’re grateful, very grateful to the locals for that.”
He originates from Ohio – I would assume from the New Order Amish presence in the state, most likely Holmes County.
Miller appears on camera in the report, explaining his positive experience with local people, and what he hopes his store will bring to the community. In summary:
“Food, food, and food…a lot of our stuff is made by the Amish in the area, all the baked stuff. Sandwiches as well, we’ve got six different types of sandwiches and we want to be known for that too… but most of all we want to be known as a company and a store that people come to because of the atmosphere,” said Miller.
In addition to his origin state, the fact that he gives an interview in the video is one clue to his likely New Order background, as are his close-trimmed hair and beard.
Like many of its kind, it seems like a really nice store – just the kind I, and I know many others, enjoy patronizing (and this new store happens to be not too far from another of my favorites in Virginia).
The key to these stores, in my humble opinion, is to have a good sandwich stand. And they typically do. The homemade subs and sandwiches these Amish stores make are some of the best around, come loaded, and tend to be great value.
You can usually customize your own sandwich, and there are often set offerings available as well. So here’s the sandwich list for Appalachian Country Store’s deli:
They all look great, but just going by the creative names, I’m giving the nod to “Monroe Monster” and “Rich Creek Rumble” 🙂 And here’s some of the help at work behind the counter.
The report notes that it’s not the first Amish store in the county, but that “it is a step toward development for the community.” I have a feeling I’d love this place, and I wish the Miller family great success. Sounds like it is going to be a win for the local community as well.
Update: Appalachian Country Store Hours & Address
If any of our readers happen to visit, I hope we’ll hear from you in future on what you thought of the place. The business hours are 8:30 AM to 5 PM Tuesday through Friday, and 8:30 AM to 3 PM on Saturdays (important: note that they are closed on both Sunday and Monday).
The address was not provided with the report, nor does it yet show up in Google Maps. But looking around online, I eventually found this given at one source from a local person who seems to know what she’s talking about:
The Appalachian Country Store
3397 Seneca Trail S
Peterstown WV 24963
And be sure to check out the WVVA report (linked above) if you want to see the interview with Jeff Miller, as I was not able to embed it here.
Update #2
Checking back in in May 2026, it looks like local folks have really taken to the store. From the reviews on Google:
Very nice store with a great selection. I will be a regular customer!
Amazing! Try the maple cookies! God Bless these folks!
Great Store. Amish are from my home area in Ohio. Great people. Great Store. Beautiful. Great selection and as always Great food. Happy To have them here!
Thanks for this post. Looking on the WV map, it looks like Peterstown, where the store is located, is not to far off I-77, the main north-south freeway through WV, nor is it too far off I-81 in Virginia, near a golf course, etc. So, if the store is well-advertised I think it will draw a lot of travelers as well as locals. Through the years I’ve visited many Amish bulk food/grocery/deli stores in various states way out in rural areas that have done remarkably well, and I think this one will be the same.
As an aside — it looks like the two Amish women in the picture each have on a different style of Kapp. (Since there are two Amish settlements in the area, this may be the case). What do you think, Erik?
You know the kapp styles did catch my eye when watching the video but I’d need to look closer. It may well be that an Amish person from a nearby settlement is working here. I have run into the same thing not far away from this area – a girl or girls from the Burke’s Garden, VA settlement would go to work at the Walker Valley Market in the Pearisburg community. I guess when you are a small community you tend to keep those connections with the other communities around you to some degree, even if they’re not necessarily the same affiliation/group.
As for this business, I don’t really know the area personally, but that aside, I think it’s going to do very well. I know you’ve probably been in a lot of Amish stores on this same model. They’re very attractive places to visit and shop. I also get great “vibes” from the owner, which isn’t a surprise. They want to create a great atmosphere and I’d be surprised if they don’t.
Looks like the two communities in Monroe County are pretty close to each other, both in the southwest corner of the county. Also they are both really small with each one having an estimated population of only 15. I wouldn’t be surprised if they work together for the mutual benefit of both communities.
Kapp styles
Erik, I noticed the kapp styles as well. The one girl’s cape on her dress looks like a German Baptist style cape. I was able to see it clearer in the video from WVVA, as well as noting a couple of other girls sporting German Baptist style kapps and cape dresses. There’s a large community of German Baptists in Virginia, and the sign on Appalachian Country Store adverstizes Homestead Creamery products. Homestead Creamery is a German Baptist operation about two hours from Peterstown, WV. It has some of the best ice cream, eggnog, holiday custard (a drink), and flavored milk you’ll find. I belong a German Baptist New Conference church in Indiana (we’re are to the main group sort of like the New Order Amish are to the Old Order) and we have a number of people in our district with family ties to Virginia, so we occasionally get the eggnog and custard brought our way during the holidays. Here in Indiana, near the town of Richmond, the Amish bulk food store and deli called Fountain Acres is next to the Ohio line and the largest German Baptist community in the world. Some of our people work there, including the daughter of the principal of the school I taught at one year. He said they got invited to an Amish wedding because of their good relationship from working together. The Amish there are Lancaster transplants.
I looked in the “Amish and Mennonite Settlements in North America 2002” compiled by Jacob Stoltzfus and this community may not be listed. It could be part of Forrest Hill in Summers County, WV, as the towns are 14 miles away. If it is, that settlement is listed as Dover/Reformist in affiliation. It might also be a community founded since the book went to print.
Also of note, there is a video of Amish moving a barn in Wisconsin that has some German Baptists visible as observers. The Hillsboro area is one of the places Amish and German Baptist overlap. Given our plain clothes, the womens’ kapps, and the black, broad brimmed hat (which is rare in the New Conference), we do get mistaken for our spiritual cousins, the Amish, and less often, Mennonites.
Thanks for sharing and I’ll have to let folks know to stop in here on the way to visit family in Virginia!
Fountain Acres and Beck’s Market
We also live near to Fountain Acres and my daughter worked there when she was not teaching at the local New Conference German Baptist school. We think we know the other girl you refer to.
Now an Old Brethren family has opened a new store on the Ohio side of the line. Beck’s Market. On Route 36 a mile east of Palestine, Ohio (Darke County). Come and visit! Get a deli sandwich for your lunch!
I have met a few Amish folks and they were truly friendly. I have several of their wonderful tasty recipes and I appreciate their kindness. I enjoy seeing their beautiful farm lands.
Where?
Too often, local news stories fail to give needed particulars about business stories. A listed address seems like a basic thing but is missing here.
At the end of the video news report, the newscaster said the store is at 3397 Seneca Trail South, Peterstown, W. Va.
refrigeration?
I noticed in one of the pictures what I think was a “deli” with presumably (or what looked like) electric slicers and refrigerators plus electric lighting. Is this store wired for electricity and if so are they on a municipal grid? I wondered if the storekeeper/owner, Jeff Miller, is an example of someone among the Amish who does little to no farming and relies on the store as his main source of income. If he is “New Order” Amish would that mean that they have a more liberal attitude towards use of electricity, especially if derived from a municipal grid? I know that health regulations require refrigeration of certain items; I’m also thinking of Amish dairy farmers who might use electric milking machines in the barn but may not necessarily use electricity in the house. BTW, I enjoyed the short video on Erik’s visiting several Amish stores in several states. I don’t travel much anymore and it is fun to experience this sort of “vicariously”, so any future videos like that are much appreciated.
Help behind the counter - picture!
In the picture, the first girl is not Amish! She is German Baptist! Therefore her covering (cap) is different.
German Baptist are another group of Anabaptist or “plain people.” Other groups are Mennonite, Hutterite, River Brethren, and Old Brrethren.
Most (by far) German Baptist, River Brethren, and Old Brethren have cars but each of these groups have at least one “buggy” group.
How do you know she is German Baptist? Different Amish affiliations/settlements have different coverings.
I noticed there are several German Baptist girls working behind the counter in the video. I am a member of a German Baptist New Conference church in Indiana. New Conference is the only group that uses the Name German Baptist and has internet. Check out the website, ogbbc.org for some pictures of our style of cape dress and kapp, plus more info. The German Baptists cape dress is unique amongst the plain Anabaptist groups and is used only by Old German Baptist Brethren Church, Old German Baptist Brethren Church (New Conference), German Baptist Brethren Church (nicknamed ’99ers and Eldon Flory’s, very plain group), Old German Baptist Church (newest group created in 2020, very plain and internet free), Old Order German Baptist Brethren Church (nicknamed Petitioners and is a horse and buggy group found in Ohio), the Old Brethren (2 seperate groups that split about 95 years after breaking off of the German Baptists), the Old Brethren German Baptist Church (horse and buggy group found in Indiana and Missouri, nicknamed Deer Creekers and Ledyites, seperate from the Petitioners), and the Old Order River Brethren (which is part of the Mennonite tradition). It can be confusing since we all dress very similarly. We also get mistaken for Amish, and less often, Mennonites. There is also a German Baptist community in Viriginia, and Homestead Creamery, which was advertized on Appalachian Country Store’s sign, is a Virginia German Baptist business producing some of the best ice cream, egg nog, custard, and flavored milk you can find.
River Brethren
A very good overview. A slight distinction would be that the River Brethren cape (and their covering) is different from the German Baptist tradition. They are similar but also distinct. The cape would be straight to the belt in the front but loose and v-shaped in the back similar to the German Baptist. River Brethren coverings are always opaque and are a fabric, not a netting material.
German Baptists
This was answered very well by Nicholas.
However, I am Old Brethren and our family relations in addition to the German Baptist tradition, includes River Brethren, Amish, and Mennonite,
I also am a history teacher with a special emphasis on Church History and Anabaptist history and culture.
OGGB
also you can tell by her dress she is Old German Baptist Brethren. As there cape is diff than Amish/Mennonite capes. (only attached at the collar and are open at the front as you can see here). I used to attend a CoB (Church of the Brethren), while much closer to Mennonite Church USA, we did have a “plain” segment called the Brethren Revival Fellowship
Jeff Miller/New Store/TV Interview
Looks like I’ll be adding Virginia and West Virginia to my list of places to visit. Thanks for clarifying Mr. Miller’s store address. Can’t hardly wait to view the German Baptist website mentioned. Best wishes to all who work/shop at this new business. Thanks for bringing us this latest news item Erik.
Absolutely, this is a store I’d love to visit too!