Lehman’s was founded by Jay Lehman (1929 – 2020) to serve the local Amish community here in northeast Ohio. Jay greatly admired the Amish and their agrarian way of life and knowledge of practical, hands-on skills. The Amish, who live without electricity, are rooted in faith, family and tradition. Jay knew that without the products to sustain their connection to the land their traditions would be hard to maintain. After all, if no one is selling butter churns, then no one knows how to churn butter, right?

The year was 1955 and Jay was the only employee when Lehman’s opened. He borrowed money from his father, Ezra, to purchase what was then known as the AB Sommers Hardware, built around 1919 in the center of town. AB also sold to the local Amish and others without electricity [...]