Scott Williams, swilliams@wolfrivermedia.com
Leader Photo by Scott Williams Located at W4519 Porter Road in the town of Hartland, Da Ess Sach Blatz opened Sept. 2 after more than a year of planning and construction by two Amish families.
Leader Photo by Scott Williams Tim Wright, of Shawano, examines some of the bargains available on the shelves of Da Ess Sach Blatz, a new Amish discount store west of Bonduel.
Amish ingenuity and hard work have brought a new shopping experience to Shawano County for consumers who are looking for something a little different.
Da Ess Sach Blatz, which translates as “The Food Place,” offers shoppers near Bonduel deep discounts on a wide variety of merchandise that is slightly imperfect.
Known as a bent-and-dent store, the retail outlet at W4519 Porter Road features groceries and other products that have minor packaging damage or are near the end of their shelf life.
For consumers who appreciate a good bargain, Da Ess Sach Blatz is a welcome option for filling their shopping carts without emptying their wallets.
“They’ve got a lot of everything,” said Sue Wright, of Shawano, who visited the store Thursday with her husband, Tim.
The store, which opened Sept. 2, is owned and operated by two Amish couples, Eli and Martha Mullet and Floyd and Elvesta Schmucker, both of whom have farms not far away. Martha and Elvesta are sisters.
Martha Mullet said the two couples both wanted to supplement their household incomes, and both liked the idea of creating a place where their older children could work close to home. The two families work side by side to keep the store clean and organized, stock the shelves and greet customers.
The idea for Da Ess Sach Blatz hatched when a similar retail outlet operated by another local Amish family closed about two years ago.
“We had this in our minds,” Mullet said. “A lot of their customers were waiting for us to do this.”
Using a section of the Schmucker farm with frontage along Porter Road in the town of Hartland, the two families spent more than a year developing their plans and erecting the new building.
Da Ess Sach Blatz joins several other Amish businesses in the Bonduel area, which is home to more than 300 people living the traditional, religious Amish lifestyle.
Ken Natzke, who takes visitors on Amish tours in the area, said the Amish farms, shops and other businesses are popular spots because shoppers appreciate the friendly atmosphere and good customer service. Amish merchants are astute and organized, Natzke said.
“They’re very good business people,” he said.
For tips on getting started, the operators of Da Ess Sach Blatz reached out to friends who run a bent-and-dent store in Kentucky. They also connected with distributors who are able to keep the store supplied with inventories of groceries, housewares, toiletries, office supplies and more.
The store delights customers with such bargains as cat food for 25 cents a can, breakfast cereal for $1.50 a box, laundry detergent for $3.75 a bottle and disposable cameras for $4.50 each.
Carl and Phyllis Schucknecht traveled about 20 miles from Sugar Bush to check out the new place.
Carl Schucknecht said the couple appreciates Amish-owned businesses because, he said, Amish people generally seem honest and dedicated to quality service. The couple filled up their shopping cart at Da Ess Sach Blatz with groceries and then some.
“They have a great selection,” Carl said. “It’s a good buy, and it’s something you wouldn’t have thought about buying.”
Mullet said she and her partners have high hopes for establishing a place that will serve thrifty Shawano County shoppers for many years to come.
Based on the strong response so far, she said, the formula of deep discounts on quality merchandise seems to have found an enthusiastic audience.
“It’s amazing,” she said. “People are just getting a fit about our prices. So I guess it’s OK.”