Keim Family Market has changed its name to Yoder’s Bakery & Furniture
This story is from a past edition of OhioTraveler
In the mid-1970s, an Amish wagon train of sorts left the Northeast Ohio Amish heartland and arrived in rural Adams County, Ohio about an hour east of Cincinnati. The fledgling community built its homes and dug into the land to farm at the edge of Appalachia. In the early 1980s, hard times fell on Roy Keim, so he took his wife Mattie’s homemade pies to sell along State Route 32. He earned $68 from truckers with a sweet tooth. And it is with that humble beginning, that Keim grew into a popular bakery, furniture, and bulk food store adored by people near and far for more than 30 years.
Roy continued the business until he retired about 10 years ago. Since then, it’s operated as the same store with the same name but changed ownership a couple of times until Wayne Yoder purchased it about a year ago. Wayne and his young Amish family are seen daily helping customers throughout the store. It remains the same store with the same cherished recipes and personable customer service that keeps customers coming back.
The only thing different is the name. Keim’s family business lasted generations. The Yoders hope to claim the same decades down the road. This Amish store by any name is a constant for many who live nearby or visit it from long distances. A trip to Yoder’s is also a trip to see the pretty landscape known as the edge of Appalachia.
Folks gather at the picnic tables or along the benches and chairs sprinkled down Yoder’s two porches which seem to stretch forever. The lunch crowd is eager to taste Yoder’s fresh deli sandwiches and warm-from-the-oven baked goods. And to wash it all down is an old-fashioned cream soda. Afterward, the kids test the playsets and trampolines. Parents and grandparents watch while they talk under the majestic shade trees or browse the indoor and outdoor furniture or walk the aisles of bulk foods, seeking the ingredients not found in big box stores. It’s a place where shopping is relaxing, and the stay is extended.
This cherished destination-shopping experience is an authentic, one-of-a-kind, Amish variety store, and a staple of the Wheat Ridge Amish community. A visit to Yoder’s is a throwback to a more simple and peaceful time, and it combines a unique experience with hard-to-find offerings.
Inside, visitors are treated to everything from fresh-made donuts to handmade dining tables. Feel the warmth and enjoy the aroma coming from the bakers’ ovens. Every morning, bakers are seen in plain sight rolling dough and preparing scrumptious baked goods. As soon as the goodies hit the store shelves, they’re grabbed up by customers to bring home …if they make it that far. The bakery is known for its donuts, fruit pies, cookies, loaves of bread, and cinnamon rolls just to name several specialties. A little closer to Christmas, Yoder’s fruitcakes are ordered from around the country. It’s no joke. They are that good!
For those who arrive midday, there’s a full-service deli with a tasty variety of meats and cheeses to cater to any appetite. In addition, steaks are now offered as well. Look for the weekly special. It’s not uncommon to see license plates in the parking lot from counties in Ohio and Kentucky, near and far. And coolers being packed with meats and cheeses for the long ride home.
The chef in the family will enjoy a trip to Yoder’s to tackle that list of special ingredients needed for those cherished recipes. There are aisles of hard-to-find goods with the Yoder label. In addition, traditional tin cookie cutters come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Yoder’s jams and jellies, flour, and so much more fill the shelves along with old-time candies, and a great selection of sugar-free foods. A camping favorite is popcorn you can pop over the fire pit.
The rustic warm store also has a wonderful selection of odds and ends from nostalgic wood toys to gorgeous wicker baskets to Amish-made quilts to scented candles. They also carry the ever-popular choices of Christian wall hangings by P. Graham Dunn.
The indoor furniture selection fills the final third of the main store. If a child needs a new computer desk, look no further. If dad needs an easy chair, you’ll find it here. And if mom wants a dining set that is like no other, this is the place. Yoder’s also has stools, benches, hutches, gliders, bedroom sets, and more. Whatever is bought here is not likely to be bought anywhere else. And if a new gazebo, shed, or patio set is needed, Yoder’s can deliver it.
A trip to Yoder’s, nestled in rural Adams County, is also a trip to where the quilt barn trail movement started. Creative quilt patterns were painted in a square representative of the work by traditional Appalachian quilters and hung on picturesque barns throughout the county. Now, the quilt barn phenomenon has spread across the country. If someone wants to add to the clothesline of quilts, Yoder’s has a selection of painted wood quilt squares. It looks great on a storage barn.
This Amish outpost at the edge of Appalachia has it all. Folks make pilgrimages to this quaint destination to fill shopping needs year-round from places like Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, Portsmouth, Northern Kentucky, and West Virginia. It’s right on the Appalachian Highway in Southwestern Ohio located at 2621 Burnt Cabin Road off SR 32 in Seaman, Ohio. They are open Monday – Saturday (Closed on Sunday). Call 937-386-9995 or visit their Facebook page or website at https://www.yodersbakeryandfurniture.com/ to plan your pilgrimage to the lesser-traveled Amish country.
