We sell locally produced items from Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Specifically we are located on a ranch near Punxsutawney, Pa, the home of Groundhog Day and Punxsutawney Phil. Some items are actually produced by us here on the ranch, others come from our neighbors, all small homesteaders.
We also sell genuine Amish made toys and other crafts, all of which are specifically identified as such.
Our part of the proceeds from sales goes to help support the animals we rescue and breed here at Highland Ranch.
The rest goes to the local families who produce the products. Occasionally we find terrific bargains in large lots and will offer those if they fit in with our store but these will be identified as imported.
Our Amish Friends
About our Amish neighbors
The Amish came to America from Switzerland and essentially believe that by keeping their lives simple they can more closely follow the teachings in the Bible.
They look rather forbidding in their black clothes but, although they do not try to get others to join their religion, they are, like most of us, just ordinary people who care for their families and community. The ones I know often have a big smile when we meet.
Although many people associate the Amish with the southeast portion of Pennsylvania, especially Lancaster County, they are found in many rural areas and there is a large, flourishing Amish community here in west-central Pennsylvania.
The Amish are hard-working and many remain farmers and ranchers where they work the land without the modern amenities. Because they do not pay for electricity, gasoline, diesel fuel, and all the massive equipment used by other farmers and ranchers, relying instead on draft animals, they spend far less to run their homesteads and normally do quite well.
Other members of the Amish community produce the goods and services required by their fellows or by the "English" farmers. Our Amish toys are produced by an Amish family which operates a business that mostly builds barns and other buildings including homes both for other Amish and for other local farms and businesses.
In the winter and other off-times when outdoor construction slows and comes to a halt here in the northeast, they gather in their wood shop and produce furniture and toys both for their own people and for sale to others.
Due to their beliefs our Amish neighbors are only able to sell locally or through jobbers who demand large discounts. We have offered to help our neighbors market online through eBay.
