Amish Business

The 2023 Amish Mud Sale Schedule (Lancaster County Auction Calendar) [UPDATED]

The 2023 Amish Mud Sale Schedule (Lancaster County Auction Calendar) [UPDATED]

The Lancaster County mud sale schedule for 2023 is now available, with the first event happening just a month from now. These Amish-heavy events draw members of the community and outside visitors in support of the local volunteer fire companies. Many have large numbers of Plain volunteers on their rosters. A mud sale is an opportunity to enjoy an Amish-attended auction event, eat tasty auction…

A Surprising Visit To an Amish Furniture Store (Video)

A Surprising Visit To an Amish Furniture Store (Video)

This is the video from my visit to Four Mile Furniture in Jackson County, Ohio. Owners Emery and Rachel Miller operate the store. When I stopped in, Emery was on his way out, but Rachel was able to give me a tour of the store. The visit was peppered with a number of surprises and unexpected things, which you’ll see in this video. They don’t…

Visiting the Kalona Produce Auction (12 Photos)

Visiting the Kalona Produce Auction (12 Photos)

Jim Halverson recently visited the Kalona, Iowa Amish community. We’ll have some photo sets from this visit to Iowa’s largest Amish community. Here’s the first one, from the local produce auction. Jim first visited the Kalona Creamery where he talked to an Amish girl working there: The girl at the Creamery directed us to a nearby produce auction. They were auctioning off palettes of great…

My Friend Ben Explains Amish Auctions (Video)

My Friend Ben Explains Amish Auctions (Video)

I had a blast doing this Q & A with my friend Ben while in Lancaster County last month. We recorded this while driving to a local horse auction. Ben explains the appeal of Amish auctions and answers some of my questions. He also shares a funny anecdote and we have some laughs. I hope you enjoy this video as much as I did recording…

Amish On Using High Tech: “Out of sight” and “Respectfully”

Amish On Using High Tech: “Out of sight” and “Respectfully”

Lindsay Ems has a new book out called Virtually Amish: Preserving Community at the Internet’s Margins. A portion was adapted for an article in Wired magazine. I’m looking forward to reading this book, but for now I’ll share a couple of excerpts. This first one suggests the etiquette of using higher tech like smartphones within the community. “If you’re going to use it, don’t rub…

The Amish & Wealth (Video)

The Amish & Wealth (Video)

Some might assume that the Amish are not especially wealthy based on their lifestyle, which can seem austere by modern American standards. However, while there certainly are some Amish that live – at least technically – below the poverty line, many are also quite prosperous financially. Most Amish people like other Americans could probably be considered “middle class”. But there are also a good number…

Amish Mud Sales 2022 – Lancaster County

I’m a little late posting this mud sale schedule this year, but better late than never. Truth be told there have only been a handful of sales so far, and around 18 more to go (mostly happening in March through June, though there are a few in late summer and autumn). In fact, there are three events happening just this Saturday, March 19th. The good…

Inside a Colorado Amish Furniture Store (Video)

Inside a Colorado Amish Furniture Store (Video)

I made this video showing the inside of Yoder’s Home Furnishings in Westcliffe, Colorado. You can also see a lot of amazing views of the area. Overall my visit to Colorado was a great trip and I was able to get around to four of the six Amish communities in the Centennial State. Visiting four communities out there is a bit more of a challenge…

What I Bought in 6 Amish Stores (Video)
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What I Bought in 6 Amish Stores (Video)

So I did a video recap of all the things I bought on my recent Kentucky-Ohio-Virginia Amish trip. You’ll see my haul from a total of six stores (plus one bonus stop in Kentucky that I explain in the video). I visited a couple of variety stores, a bent-n-dent food store, a large market and deli-style store, and two bulk foods places. But my Amish…

Are there Amish in New Jersey?

Are there Amish in New Jersey?

New Jersey is another one of those states that people think has or at least ought to have an Amish population (like Georgia). However, the Garden State does not. And not just that, I don’t believe it has ever in history had an Amish community…which is kind of surprising when you think about it being right next-door to Amish-loaded states Pennsylvania and New York. Amish…