Cultivator, I&J Manufacturing, Gap, Pennsylvania

Cultivator, I&J Manufacturing, Gap, Pennsylvania
Originally uploaded by rllayman

Having been up in Lancaster County last December, I have been very intrigued about the maintenance of a thriving local economy there ever since. Of course, this is centered around the Amish and Mennonite agricultural economy.

But I was surprised to see so many locally owned supermarkets and hardware stores and the like. (With great prices too.)

Last week, I went to a farmers conference in Hershey, and on the way we stopped at I&J Manufacturing to buy a cultivator (not for me). The Amish-owned business had a display offering free Lancaster County business directories. It's a big thick volume, full of locally owned businesses, including woodworking studios and other manufacturers.

It occurs to me that the Amish could manufacture work bicycles...

Anyway, I am thinking that an interesting dissertation could be created around the study of the local economy of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.