Lehman’s

Fun touristy place that caters to off grid tech. Think Amish. We stop in on every visit into the area. The store sectioned off. Each section contains a very large selections of say lantern, cast-​iron cookware, bells (from large to small), cheese and pickling supplies, standard cookware, knives, utensils, books, cast iron ovens, home heaters, hand water pumps, and on and on.
Just about anything you could want. Not cheap but a fun place to go if in the area.

This is a really cool store in the heart of Ohio Amish Country that has a lot to offer for both tourists and locals alike. Obviously they sell hardware store type things as well as home appliances large and small but there is so much more. They have a lot of cool things here including a great variety of old fashioned candies that you can’t find in many places anymore. They had old fashioned home made sodas and even have a large section with toys. They have a lot of cool things on display to add to the experience including an old fashioned English telephone booth and an Amish buggy. The store is really large and they even have free wifi. A lot of Amish locals shop here for their supplies. The place has become somewhat of a tourist attraction and is definitely a good roadside stop to go in and walk around for awhile even of you don’t plan on buying anything. If you’re visiting Ohio Amish Country plan to stop and if you’re just driving through consider making a side trip here.

Unfortunately, some time in the last 10 years or so, I suspect this place brought in retail consultants and re-​tooled to maximize the tourist traffic. They took out much of the lower priced, higher quality items and replaced those with items that probably have a much higher markup. Many of the truly off-​the-​grid items seem to be on display rather than for sale.
I used to love to go here for bulk baking supplies and other hard-​to-​find basic items at reasonable prices. That’s gone, and now there’s a lot of souvenir-​y kitschy stuff, including the usual overpriced stuff made in China. I don’t need to go to Amish country for that! I can buy saltwater taffy and $ 8 soup mixes just about anywhere.
So my question is – Lehman’s has gone touristy, so where are the Amish shopping now? That’s where I want to go.

I adore this place! So many great things to look and shop thru and purchase. The café is a great place to grab a bite to eat and just enjoy your time in Amish country. The Root Beer selection is always our first stop and then kitchen supplies — this time a new cast iron skillet and some football cookie cutters!

If you are ever in Ohio’s Amish country this is a must stop. Anything under the sun can be found here. Very interesting place to visit. Wonderful 3D wood carving display!

I first heard about Lehman’s years and years ago, and have enjoyed poking around on the website once in a while to see the interesting things they sell. So when I was visiting the area, I knew we had to visit.
Going to Lehman’s reminds me a lot like visiting an Ikea, but for rural folks and/​or folks who want to live off the grid. You walk in and are sort of overwhelmed by where to start, early on in your visit there’s a café you can stop by, then you finally wander out in a daze with lots of weird doodads you never realized you needed in your life so badly. The giant root beer aisle doesn’t disappoint. If you’ve ever wanted a jigsaw puzzle of bumper stickers or crocheted granny squares, this is your place. Want a tiny butter bell? You’re in luck! How about a woodfired stove like the one your great grandmother used? Look no further.
Going to the online website will give you a good idea of what Lehman’s sells in case you want to plan your shopping list, but I think wandering through and being open to needing an olive oil lamp or a lye soap making kit might be a more fun experience. Definitely one of the highlights of northern Ohio!

Visited Lehman’s for the very first time this summer. When I think of this place, I think of what Home Depot and Lowes may have looked like in another life. This place is not only special because of the really cool appliance options that they offer, it’s special because it’s a cultural experience. I loved browsing/​shopping among the locals and tourists. I enjoyed sitting in their café to people watch while enjoying some lunch. I loved the courtesy and friendliness of the staff. Everything about my experience here was great. I will be visiting again soon.

Hadn’t been here for years, and they have definitely expanded. Used to be more like a hardware store; now it’s more of a big gift shop. They still have a little hardware, and lots of old-​style stoves, etc., along with the kitchen items they always had. Now, there are more toys, books, clothes, and food, including a huge selection of root beer and unusual pop.
Some of the prices are high, but then there are things you’ll have a hard time finding anywhere else. For example, they have lots of accessories for oil lamps, so I’ll need to see exactly what my grandparents’ lamps need.
Apparently there’s a clearance store out back; we didn’t have time to check it out. Allow an hour or two; there’s a lot to see.

When I first went here decades ago, I would have given Lehman’s 5 stars: the Amish, the livestock auction, the horse and buggies. I never saw anything quite like it. The last few times I was less impressed with the merchandise, as many places carry a lot of similar items. Nevertheless, this is my favorite place to visit in Ohio! REALLY! Part of it is the drive there… I make my husband take me on the backroads to look at the beautiful Amish farms.

Very large hardware store with a little bit of hardware and a lot of other stuff you might not find elsewhere. Unique and large selection of wood and gas stoves, lanterns, Lodge iron cookware, old fashioned bottled drinks, canned items, and much more.
This is a fun place just to browse or to shop. My wife was impressed with the good prices on some of the cookware.

I liked the selection of tin signs, but other than that, it wasn’t the ‘cultural’ experience I thought it would be. My bad for having such expectations. Even so, the service was friendly and the environs were great.

Pros: N/​A
Cons: I couldn’t seem to find the modern-​looking products that use no electricity. Much more interesting to observe the Kidron Auction, which is next door, than to browse this store.

Lehman’s is a neat store with a large variety of hand tools, and things for home, garden, cooking, and kids. They had all kinds of pasta making equipment, wood stoves, and other interesting and useful things. I could have perused for hours!

Lehman’s garnered national attention back during the Y2K scare, and I imagine that business has never been quite the same as it was when scads of paranoid people were planning for a world where a couple zeroes would end Civilization As We Know It. But when hand-​cranked Cuisinarts and blenders proved to be unnecessary, the plain folk were still there to purchase non-​electric devices for use on their farms.
The Amish do make up a goodly percentage of Lehman’s customer base, but those of us with a passion for fascinating gadgets and useful devices are also regular customers. Lehman’s is a regular stop for me when I’m visiting Amish country, and visits there generally end with the purchase of at least one kitchen or garden doodad, and lots of covetous drooling over the many goodies that line the store shelves.
The Lehman’s building is a rambling collection of additions, renovations, and — honestly — subsumings of previously free-​standing structures. That means it’s very easy to get turned around, if not genuinely lost. Some might consider this a bad thing, and if you are in search for specific items, it’s best to ask for directions. I, on the other hand, regard these meanderings as serendipitous. When I turn a corner, I might find myself among a collection of fascinating farm implements, or lovely lamps and candles.
Maybe even Narnia. It’s got that kind of feel to it.
Is this the cheapest place to acquire cast iron cookware or a garden rake? No. But it’s definitely the most delightful, and that’s worth a bit of a surcharge, in my opinion.

Gather ’round the hearth, kids: Ol’ Man Kebbin’s gonna tell you a tale, of long ago, when any towns worth visiting had giant emporia, filled to the eaves with tools, implements, devices, odd screws, wooden crates filled with straw and mystery, and a few old coots standing around who knew everything. («Really, old timer? You mean bLowe’s? Home Despot?» «Get the hell out of my review, you snotty-​nosed simpleton!»)
There’s really only one such place left: Lehman’s in Kidron. What started as 900 square feet of Amish-​ready (non-​electric) appliances, wood stoves and tools is now an acre under one roof, with such a staggering array of curiousities and ephemera: Stiles. (For tapping maple trees for sap.) And bungs. (For tapping wooden kegs.) Anvils. (For dropping on roadrunners.) Lumberjack tools, cooking tools, farrier tools (perhaps not what you’d think.) Squeehonkers, filangerlollies, trapsnappers, smoots and self-​sharpening, stainless steel retractable pet snellers. Yep.
Prices? Well, sure. You want everything under one roof? You’ll pay for it. Think of it as the cost of acquisitions and mergers, but of all those devices that aid your journey, cradle to grave, with all your fingers and toes intact.
Here’s one quibble: The store layout is a jumble. Why don’t they paint directions, on the floors? Color code that to a map, then let the shoppers loose to spend their hard-​earned retirement funds at will? (Yeah, the bus tours stop here. Try not to get in betwixt them and the benches. You’ve been forewarned.)
Oh, and Saturday there was a four-​piece band playing in the lobby. Swell time had by all! (Youse fellers know «Old Rugged Cross?»)

For non-​electric devices, hard-​to-​find gadgets, and general nostalgia, Lehman’s is the place to go. From hand tools to hand-​crank ice cream machines, you can find it here. It takes a couple hours to get through the whole store, but if you run into lunchtime, you can get a decent lunch right in the store.

Just to be clear, I haven’t been to the store in Kidron. I’ve only ordered stuff from their catalog. Check it out at
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I recently spent some time in a log cabin way’n the hell out in the Alberta wilderness. After half a week of reading by oil light, bathing in a stream, and doing my filthy business in an outhouse, I came to the conclusion that civilization is way overrated, and that at my core, I’m comfortable in my neolithicity. There, I’ve just outed myself as Amish. (Apologies to the real Amish folk. –TRG)
Lehman’s Non-​Electric Catalog is just the thing for guys like me who would abjure the use of modern appliances given the first opportunity, and spew frothing unsolicited sermons against the Electro-​Fascist Complex whenever possible. This is not just a bunch of quaint, folksy chotchkes. This is the real deal for those who still favor iron and wood over plastic. It’s real tools, household goods, and appliances made for and by the Amish. And it’s all designed for off-​the-​grid living.
So whether you want to move to the wilds of western Africa or back to 19^th-​century Pennsyltucky, go load up on goods at Lehman’s first.
PS: Only drawback — their website is kinda clunky. But that’s no reflection on their wares.

Lehman’s Hardware is one of the most popular sites in Kidron, hosting tourists all year long who come to see and purchase many of their non-​electric items. This family run business has a great friendly staff and tons of awesome products that you can use at home.