Thank-you for your interest in Almost Amish. Our love of the Old Order Amish culture started fifteen years ago when, as a tourist, I took a Lancaster County hot air balloon ride and crashed in an Amish man's field, amongst his hay bales.  Eleven of his twelve children came running out to see if the passengers were all right.  I looked around and fell in love that night- with the Amish culture.  Imagine a sun low on the horizon, giving a golden glow to a fertile green valley, dotted with 80-acre farms.  White windmills turned gently, the corn and alfalfa were sprouting, and cows grazed quietly nearby.  My friendly hosts were beautifully robed in vibrantly colored dresses and shirts coupled with black pinafores for the girls and suspenders and pants for the boys.  I noticed a roadside stand that stood beside the farm, and knew that I would return the next day.  I didn't care what they were selling-I knew that I had to be a part of this.

When I got out of the car the next day, two little girls, ages 8 and 10, were minding the stand.  The older girl pointed to me and said to her sister, "Look!  It's the balloon lady!"

Six months later on my birthday, after making repeated visits to the stand and forming a real bond with the two girls, I was invited inside the house to meet the parents.  I became a regular fixture around the home on the weekends, washing an occasional dish, telling frequent stories, learning about many facets of the Amish culture, and trying to learn their dialect of Pennsylvania Dutch.

Eight years later, I met my husband Ken.  Our second date was a day trip to Lancaster County.  He saw the beauty of the area and fit right in with my friends immediately.   Three years after we married, we decided to move to Lancaster County then instead of waiting years for retirement.  After living here for three years, the idea of doing what we really love slowly started to evolve. The luckiest people get to work with their passions.  We're passionate about Lancaster County's Old Order Amish Settlement, and helping you enjoy their craftsmanship through the merchandise we offer.

Sixteen years after that first evening, the Amish man now has thirteen children, twenty-four grandchildren, and more on the way. We've attended each other's weddings, and shared each other's sorrows.  The girl who pointed at me and said, "Look! It's the balloon lady!" now is a wife and mother of two. She also makes our Amish Dolls. Her younger sister is a wife and mother to two girls.
 
We have so much we plan to add to our website over the next few months, so please come back regularly.  In addition, if you saw something on a recent trip to Lancaster, Pennsylvania that we don't currently carry please email us and we'll try to find it for you.

You can contact us at: customerservice@almost-amish.com or by phone at 1.866.471.4614.  If you're in the County, you can reach us at 717.983.0145.

Also, if you have any suggestions about what you'd like to see on our website or the website itself, please just drop us a line at customerservice@almost-amish.com.

Thanks again for visiting!

Ken and Sally Treadwell
Proprietors

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