Dutchman Market’s shelves are lined with fresh-baked goods, farm needs and hand crafted what-nots. All symbols of the quiet, simple lifestyle of the Mennonite people.
Paul and Ruth Martin, proprietors of the store, serve their modern customers in a traditional fashion. Sugar, oats and flour can be purchased in quantity, and deals are always sealed with a smile.
The store is a popular tourist attraction, and the majority of the customers are non-Mennonite.
“We’ll deal with anybody,” said Ruth Martin, ”but there are a few people who have given us bad checks and we have to watch them.”
The Martins, originally from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, moved to Liberty six years ago. The store and the house in which they live were built by work parties formed in the small Mennonite community
Visitors to the store often are surprised to hear the Mennonites speak to one another. Their language is a mixture of English and a watered-down German dialect, and they use the two interchangeably.
“We switch back and forth without even thinking,” said Martin.
The store is run through the concerted effort of the couple and several of their children. They open at 8 a.m. and close at sundown, rarely stopping to rest or play.
