The Mennonite Arrival!

The Rich Hill Old Order Mennonite community was founded in the late 1990s. They gathered from other communities mostly to the east to start a new life with new opportunities in Missouri. With them they brought high work ethics and superior cultivation skills. They helped provide economic stability for the area. As a community, they purchased large tracts of land and went to work. Unless you have seen it with your own eyes, their efficiency is difficult to imagine. It wasn’t long before you could see horse-drawn plows in the hand cleared fields. Family owned businesses started opening their doors as well.

Mennonite-More Than Just A Farmer!

Yes, businesses! Many of them. Without big signage they can be hard to find. The rare exception is the billboards on I49. They showcase the 3 family owned farm markets that all lie just off the highway along I49 near Rich Hill. They sell all the different vegetables and melons grown within the community. They also sell handmade ointments, lip balms, and other similar items. Some offer handmade wood furniture and the most beautiful quilts ever seen! Shopkeepers are always friendly and enjoy talking to and learning about other people. All the other businesses sit beside the family farms within the community. Look for small signs at the end of the driveways as you pass. Sometimes it takes a keen eye so don’t blink!

“The Cozy Nook Bookstore” is a little building that sits up by the house on the other side of the driveway. If you wish to see what they have to offer simply pull up and honk. A very friendly young woman named Frieda Brubaker will greet you with a huge smile and open the door to the store. It’s a quaint little place with very neat displays. All items sold reflect their own values and beliefs. Not everything has a religious theme. Some of the items are commercially produced. Some of the items are custom-made by Frieda and her family. It’s a great place to find a cute little family friendly gift that you don’t elsewhere.

“Osage Valley Harness Shop” meets all your equestrian needs and beyond! Owned by the Schrock family, many community members as well as others patronize this business. As with the book store, it sits by the house on the other side of the drive. It’s a larger building with many different items in stock. They have everything you could possibly need for your horses. They also have things like work gloves and bird seed plus feed for all your livestock—a Mennonite farm store. Usually, the store doors are open and Andy is inside tending to all the business of the day. He is a very kind man, always eager to help you get what you need.

One of the least obvious places is a little gem owned by Mrs. Mary Mazelin. In usual fashion, it sits by the house across the drive. There is no signage. You must know it’s there in order to find it. Inside you will see what I think of as a mini Wal-Mart. She stocks the day-to-day items that they are unable to make or grow themselves. Bulk supplies are offered to accommodate larger families. You can get everything from shampoo to stock pots! A store like this within the community is important when your transportation is a horse and buggy.

Right next to the mini mart is Paul Mazelin’s “Western Trails”. They deal in harness supplies and shoes for people. There is a small variety of shoes to choose from in store and they have catalogs you can order from as well. This is another business that hold no outdoor signage.

This is just a short list of the Mennonite owned businesses that contribute to local economic growth. I know several more and I’m sure there are more that I don’t know. Similar yet unique, every one is worth the trip!

Want to learn more about Mennonites elsewhere? Check out this awesome article from National Geographic!