As we delve deeper into Fall, it is a wonderful time to explore the Amish farmland that lies just south of Albion in Homer township, where there are several popular Amish businesses.
Michigan’s Amish population numbers over 18,000 residing in over fifty distinct settlements. They began settling in Michigan in 1895 attracted by the rich and relatively inexpensive farmland. Many of the Amish families still operate diversified farms with limited use of modern technology. There is also a great deal of pioneer entrepreneurship in the Amish community: woodworking shops that produce high-quality furniture, as well as sawmills, bakeries, harness and tackle shops, craft shops, well stocked Amish groceries and general stores.
Nearby rural Branch and Southern Calhoun County have significant Amish settlements. About an hour and a half away in Northern Indiana, especially near Shipshewana, Nappanee and Goshen there are a number of Amish businesses and cultural sites that have long been daytrip destinations for Albion residents.
Some of the nearby Amish businesses that draw Albion visitors include Countryside Bakery & Bulk Foods at the corner of 28 Mile Road and P drive. Across the street is Royal Oak General Store featuring a variety of items, including top of the line work boots, lawn furniture, housewares, and gifts. A couple of miles away is SunnySide Produce Supplies, on R Drive South between 29 Mile Road and Van Wert (30 Mile Road). Continuing south on 29 Mile Road to V Drive South and turning left towards 28 Mile Road takes you to a charming vegetable market known for its flowers, sweet corn and seasonal produce.
The local Amish are all very friendly and welcome shoppers from Albion, and the surrounding area. Businesses are open during ‘daylight hours’ and always closed on Sundays. The General Store also closes on Thursday, and SunnySide Produce closes on Tuesdays. All purchases must be made in cash. The roads in this part of the County are rugged and one should also drive carefully on account of the horse and buggies that one frequently encounters.
Countryside has a wide selection of often inexpensive bulk flours, grains, beans, pasta, seeds, nuts, pasta, herbs, and spices along with a cooler full of eggs, cheeses, vegetables and several racks of baked goods. Amish fried pies – a delicious treat – appear on Fridays and Saturdays in nine different flavors.
The Royal Oak General Store is a mix of the contemporary and traditional. In front of the store is a large selection of Adirondack style outdoor furniture. Inside, there is a spacious array of gifts, books, toys, crafts, work boots, and household goods – Everything a comfortable farm needs. Both Countryside and Royal Oak are having “Customer Appreciation Days’ from Thursday to Saturday, October 9th to 11th, with refreshments, storewide discounts, drawings and special bargains
One of the more surprising discoveries if you get lost on country roads is to stumble upon the large and growing wholesale and retail gardening business that the Andy Stutzman family have developed. They have traditionally been a catalog operation, but are remodeling their storefront for retail sales.
Their catalog of seeds and gardening supplies is 92 pages long. They sell to farmers in bulk who place orders in December and January for mid-February delivery. The store is quite impressive, with a flair of displays:
By the time you reach this charming vegetable stand in the far Southeast corner of Calhoun County you definitely are deep into the countryside. This small storefront, nested on a short stretch of V Drive between 28 and 29 mile roads, is famous locally for its early season sweet corn, beautiful inexpensive flowers, and seasonal produce. The nearby farm produces a large quantity of produce which it distributes to other local markets.
One of the joys of living in Albion is the great availability of locally grown food. Before the era of corn and soybeans, there was a great deal of diversified farming in the region. Many of these entrepreneurs appear at the farmer’s markets in nearby Homer, Marshall, and Jackson. The Amish with their simple, efficient businesses, are one part of a growing trend of diversified rural entrepreneurship that has persisted in ever new ways for the past two hundred years – and they are a cheerful and relaxing destination for an afternoon daytrip.
Albion Life Today 