Amish goods success story expands to Tilton

TILTON — Owing to his nostalgia for an area where he spent much of his youth, and to her interest in country-style home goods, Tim and Erica LeClair had been nurturing for years a dream of opening their own store. They finally launched the Amish Country Barn, on South Main Street in Concord in March, 2008.

Tim had been working as a real estate agent, specializing in commercial and new development sales, and said they decided the time was right to take the plunge. "My wife and I had been talking about doing this for eight years, it took a bad real estate market for me to pull the trigger," Tim said.

Their business plan turned out to be sound. Tim's parents, Dick and Lainie LeClair, joined in with the venture, and they started the only country home goods store in the Concord area, as well as the only retailer in the state offering a wide selection of goods made in Pennsylvania's Amish country. According to Dick, their business is the only one registered in New Hampshire with "Amish" in the business name.

Just in time for the recent holiday season, the LeClairs opened their second Amish Country Barn location, 456 Laconia Road (Route 3) in Tilton. They've found that their new store, which is slightly larger than the Concord location, has been greeted with the same level of enthusiasm as the first store.

"It's almost like we have a fan base, not a customer base," Tim said. Their store's patrons grew exponentially, with new customers returning a few days later with a crowd of their friends, who would in turn tell their like-minded friends about the store.

The LeClairs have found success by offering goods at a range of price levels. All of their furniture is made by Amish craftsmen or by other producers of similar quality. The prices are still competitive with other comparable furniture stores, though, because Tim and Dick – or sometimes Tim and his six year-old son – drive a truck down to Lancaster, Penn. and purchase their goods directly from the producers.

Regarding their home goods, about one-third of their stock is Amish-made, another third is made by an American, non-Amish producer and the rest is imported.

Dealing directly with the producers has its downfalls. Many of their suppliers are extremely small operations, some are as small as a pair of brothers working in a shed hidden behind a barn and surrounded by a family farm. They work at a different pace than larger, modernized factories, with orders filled in weeks instead of days. Adding to the complication is that Amish craftsmen have varying access to telephones. In some cases, several shops will share a phone, in other cases they'll rely upon the nearest pay phone.

However, the LeClairs think it's worth putting up with these inconveniences. The craftsmen are willing to work with the LeClairs and convert their designs to suit local demand. Tim said that most of his suppliers don't have any other New Hampshire clients, many of them don't sell to anyone else from New England.

By avoiding dealers and purchasing directly from the craftsmen, the LeClairs also are able to offer the products at a lower price. The prices are also made more affordable by using high-quality pine instead of hardwoods to make much of the furniture.

Tim has been enamored of Amish crafts and furniture since he was a boy and lived in Pennsylvania's Huntingdon County. He recalls visiting a nearby Amish farmer's market and furniture store.

"The Amish take pride in what they do," Tim said. Their products are simple, some might say rustic, but well-made. The style remains relevant because it illustrates that things must not be modern or sophisticated to be good, and because it provides the customer with not only a piece of furniture or decor but also a conversation starter.

Indeed, Tim said the Amish mystique is part of what continues to draw customers to his business. "I think a lot of people are intrigued because they don't know about them," he said. "People like the idea of good quality, hand-made and made in America. It gives people something to say about the piece."

CAPTION for AMISH COUNTRY BARN in AA:

The LeClair family – Lainie and Dick on the left, Tim and Erica on the right – opened the Amish Country Store in Tilton in December. It's the family's second store, and is proving to be as popular with customers as their Concord store has been. (Laconia Daily Sun photo/Adam Drapcho)