mt eaton harness and shoe repair - a tour of an amish business

The very first time I ever entered this business was as little Amish girl, maybe 4 or 5 years old, and it was located down the road a bit and around the corner. I remember smelling leather as my parents, my brother and I would enter the store, the mission - a pair of shoes for my brother or I - a pair of tennis shoes for the beginning of a new school year or a pair of "Sunday shoes" for when our feet outgrew the pair we had. We had to be careful with those new "Sunday shoes" and not scuff them up too much because they had to "last." I always loved shoes and shopping for shoes, but as a young Amish girl I felt like there was never enough of a selection for me to choose from and ALWAYS ended up leaving the store with a pair of what I always called "grandma shoes" because my mom, her mom, my other grandmother, aunts, and all the church ladies wore the same shoe and I was always mortified that I had to wear the same kind of shoe the old ladies wore. 

For this reason I believe is why, today,  I like to have a bunch of shoes, something for each outfit, there is nothing like a good selection to mix and match with when I'm pulling an outfit together and shoes oftentimes make the outfit happen. My husband always says to me, "are you sure you wear all those shoes" and/or "if you bring another pair home, you have to pitch five of the pair of shoes that you have." 

Never! wink wink

I thought about this place a couple months ago and wondered what it looked like on the inside so I inquired on Facebook if it were possible for me to stop over and bring my camera. I was thinking one of the son's who are no longer Amish might own the harness and shoe repair shop since they have a Facebook page, but I would soon learn that the son, Larry Weaver, who now owns the harness and shoe repair shop IS still Amish and his non-Amish nephew has hooked him up with a Facebook page. Isn't that kind of cool?

As I stepped out of my car at Mt. Eaton Harness and Shoe Repair a couple Saturday's ago I noticed a few things, the tree in the parking lot, the dog, Max, and a hitching post all nesting up close to a nicely manicured lawn owned by Larry's parents. 

I took a few pictures of the out of doors, and Max, of course, and then I walked up the ramp, opened the door and entered the shop and the first thing I did was stand there and breath in the leather smell. If I had closed my eyes I would thought I had returned to the old shop where my brother and I were outfitted with our next pair of shoes, up the road and around the corner. But I didn't close my eyes and I wasn't transported into the past, but it sure smelled like it, leathery, woodsy, new shoes, all the smells in my memory were still there. 

Upon entering the shop and allowing my nose to have its way with the smells I saw that Larry and his father were both busy, Larry with customers, his father was back in the corner busy repairing shoes. Since I knew that they knew I was stopping by I started taking pictures until Larry was free to chat with me. It ended up that he was not able to chat because it was going on toward the end of store hours and he and his wife had dinner plans and he HAD to mow the lawn before he had to be ready for dinner. Larry invited me to take all the pictures I wanted and to come back the following Saturday for a visit. 

I did both. I took pictures that day and the following Saturday afternoon I showed up to chat with him a bit about his business. Larry told me his father, Eli Weaver, previously owned the business, purchasing it from another Amish man in the community 41 years ago, about the same year Larry was born. His father moved the business two years later from the shop that I used to go shoe shopping with my parents to where it now resides. Larry took over the business 19 years ago and his father works for him now. 

Larry and his wife have five children, ranging in ages of 17 all the way to 5 years old. The first four children, all girls...the last one...a boy. Larry cracked a big smile when he mentioned his son, adding that his son is spoiled very much. Larry's oldest daughter works outside the home full time, the next two help him in the shop, cleaning and helping with customer service on those days the store has sales. 

Speaking of sales, Larry mentioned that during the Mt. Eaton Days, June 13 and 14th they will be having 10% off the entire store. This would be the time to stop by and purchase your steel toed work boots, or a nice pair of cowboy boots. Along with the sale inside, they are also have a garage sale and he will have close-out shoes at the garage sale.

In August, 5-9 they will be having their anniversary sale, and I am thinking he told me that they would be having 10% off store wide again on these dates. Along with the anniversary sale in the store they are also having barbecue chicken dinners on the outside; one can come and purchase dinners and the proceeds go to The Pier, a local venue and private school.

The bulk of Larry's business is shoe sales. He sells all kinds of products, but shoes are the main thing. He has a nice display of shoes and he helps each of his customers fitting the shoes, giving prompts on how they should fit. I heard him tell one customer who was trying on cowboy boots that when she walks there should be about a half an inch between her heel and the back of the boot. He is extremely knowledgeable on shoes and what one needs to get the job done. Mostly, what he sells are work shoe type of shoes. You won't find fancy shoes here, practical shoes for practical situations. He also sells tennis shoes and I saw Crocs there as well as, Sunday shoes for the Amish. 

The other side of Larry's business is the repair part. His father repairs boots and shoes. I heard Larry tell someone that if the sole of his shoe wears out, all he has to do is bring the shoes back and they will take the old sole off and put a brand new sole on the shoes for a lot less price. I noticed Larry isn't all about the dollar, but he is selling a way of life for those who have hard jobs and need tough shoes. He cares about his customers and for that reason is why I'm sure he has repeat customers. He really provides customer service and seems to be less sales driven. Larry repairs harnesses and saddles in his spare time. When I was there the second day he was repairing a customer's reins for his horses, they were all tore up and Larry patched them up all nice and neat and his Amish customer had a great big grin on his face when he saw the patch that Larry did for him. 

In between chatting about his business and taking care of customers I got to talk with one or two of the customers. This one Amish man asked me if I was a sales lady. I told him no, that I was a writer and I was doing an article on Larry's shop. The fellow then asked me who I was because I was actually speaking in Pennsylvania Dutch and when you speak the language folks want to know who you are and where you come from. As this fellow and I chatted we ended up being like second cousins. His grandfather was my grandmother's brother. Neat, huh? You just never know when you will run into relatives in these parts. 

Okay, so for the part that I really enjoy, is showing you instead of telling you. Click on the pictures so they show up in a gallery if you would like to see more details. There is a LOT going on in this little store and I tried to get the gist of what they do. 

Mt. Eaton Harness and Shoe Repair

Their signage by the road. 

The parking lot and/or hitching post are almost never completely empty. 

Happening place for sure. My car is in the background, the black one. 

The hitching post. A great part of the customers are the local Amish. Larry's parent's house and neatly manicured lawn in the background. 

Max, what a doll! If you love dogs you will want to stop by and give this fellow a petting. He will brighten your day. 

There is a step and a ramp, they are prepared for all customers. 

Mr. Max was watching me take pictures. He seemed a bit puzzled at what I was doing. 

Another view of the steps and the ramp. 

A sign by the door. Looks like there have been many signs as the year have gone by. 

Nice clean window in the door and the hours. 

As you come inside you are greeted with this rack of boots and to the right of the front door are many more displays of shoes and boots. 

A nice spot in the middle of the room for Larry to fit his customers with their new shoes or boots and make sure they are leaving with the perfect fit. 

Larry discussing shoes and boots with some customers.

A few customers are browsing, carefully making their selections. 

Cowboy hats are sold here as well. 

Leather shoe strings. 

Wall of work boots.

Tough. Everything that is sold in this place seems to ooze tough, durable, long lasting, and good investment.

Candy can be purchased here. 

That is my black tablet sitting on the edge of the counter with my keys laying on top. I like that I got them in there by accident. 

You can even grab a pop here in the fridge. 

Leather Dye. I used a lot of this product as a little Amish girl growing up dying the family Sunday shoes before church and then after I was married making sure my husband's shoes were nice and shiny each church Sunday. 

Supplements.

Union Salve.

I found Rook cards hanging in-between some flashlights. Amish people play Rook. A lot of Rook. It is my favorite game and always look forward to a hot game of Rook. 

The counter where the sales are finalized. 

Some harnesses are sold here. 

There is a corner for heavy duty outerwear. Carhart brand prevalent in this store. 

Saddles for sale. 

Belts and you can see a glimpse of Larry's father in the background repairing shoes. 

My sister works at Weaver Leather. Larry sells their products at his store. 

Anything you want for your horse, you can find here on this wall. 

Stacks of hats sold primarily to Amish men and boys. 

Another look at the corner with the saddles displayed. 

Larry was mowing the yard behind the shop. 

Max was out back smelling the roses dandelions while Larry was mowing.

If you are looking for liniment or some other potion for your horse, Larry probably has it stocked on his shelves somewhere. 

Meet Ike. He is a permanent fixture in the store. 

He was getting his exercise. 

A little patron found Ike, I like that his house is low to the floor so the little ones can stand there with their arms crossed as this little gal is doing and relax while she is watching Ike.

Also, notice what Larry is selling right beside Ike's house! I'm glad Ike can't read. 

Wonder Dust. I didn't read the label, but I like the name of this product. I wonder if I purchased some and just spread it all over if magical things would happen.

This stuff is sold at the beauty supply store where I purchase my beauty products. Isn't that amazing? Me and the horse next door could shop at the same store for our beauty particulars!

Aren't these cute? A lot of little Amish girls wear a pair of these shoes for Sunday. 

Not a graveyard for leather products, these items are on Larry and Eli's "to do list."

Almost anything you need you can find here. 

A leather craftsmen's tools. 

I loved this piece of furniture. Signs of many, many years of wear and tear. 

Signs that they have fun in this shop. Up on the top I noticed "Gordy" written out and I asked Larry about it. He said it was there because of an English neighbor boy they grew up with. My husband and I know the brother to the "Gordy" on the wall and interestingly enough we call our friend "Gordy" as well. Was interesting for me to see it up on their wall. 

A leather craftsman's tools. 

These saw horses are very tall, and very smooth from the wear and tear over the years. Really beautiful in real life. 

Love this picture.

The next boot to be repaired. 

I wonder how old those dishes are which hold all kinds of small fixtures. 

A well used chair. 

Lined up ready to be repaired. 

Norman Rockwell calendar. 

The clock. 

The cash register. There are all kinds of things going on, raffle tickets, business cards, etc. 

The bulletin board the community can use to place their ads on.

A nice spot to rest while you are waiting. 

A thank you on the door as you exit. 

Max came by to send me off. He looks so happy.

If you would like to visit Larry and take a gander at what he sells, you can plug his address in your GPS and head that way.

Mt Eaton Harness and Shoe Repair
10265 Winesburg Rd
Dundee, OH 44624

Phone: 330-359-5862

I checked their Facebook page tonight to link to it and alas! It is no longer there. I'm not sure what happened, but if I find they have it up again, I will link to it for everybody. Last time I had checked their page had more than 500 "likes" so they are doing something right on there.

If you do stop in to see Larry, please tell him that you read this. He seemed really happy that I was going to blog about his business. He is a very friendly fellow and if you are in the market for a good work boot or shoe, he is the man to help you out.

If you liked this article and would like to be prompted when I do more of them, I invite you to go to my Facebook page and "like" it so we can stay connected.