About the Amish and Mennonites

The Amish and Mennonites are two related cultural groups that have settled largely in the Midwestern U.S. Their religious roots come from a figure in the German Reformation named "Menno Simons."

Amish and Mennonites both live, to one degree or another, removed from normal life. They resist technological change and see religious and spiritual value in doing things “the old fashioned way.”

Different communities have different ideas about what technology is acceptable, but all of them share values that make them honest, hard-working, and resistant to change.

Questions and Answers

Are you Amish?

No, we are not Amish or Mennonite ourselves. We are Christians, as are the Amish and Mennonites, but we do not observe a technologically simpler life for religious reasons.

We admire the Amish and Mennonites and find their lifestyle appealing from a human point of view, as many other people do.

Where near Fredericksburg do Amish People live?

There are no Amish settlements near Fredericksburg. The products we sell we bring down from the Midwest and Northern Midwest where Amish and Mennonites originally settled.

We do think that an area like Fredericksburg, which seems a little frozen in time itself, would feel a little more home-like to an Amish person. Many of the values shared by Amish and Mennonites are visible in Fredericksburg.

Why do Amish People Sell Furniture?

The great majority of Amish people live in simple agricultural communities. They grow enough food to feed themselves and make by themselves many of the things that they need. Like all farming communities, though, they still need cash to purchase things that they cannot grow locally, like spices, or make themselves, like medicines and paint.

So, these communities do a variety of things to bring cash in from the outside world. Amish craftsmen have found that their values of quality, simplicity, and ingenuity are very attractive to outsiders. So, they make more than they need and convert some of the rest of it to cash by selling it.