• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Amish 365
  • About
  • Amish Recipes
  • Amish Culture
  • Amish Marketplace
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Amish Recipes
  • Amish Culture
  • About
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Amish Recipes
    • Amish Culture
    • About
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Plain Culture

    Amish Business Profile: Village Cupboard

    Published: Feb 17, 2015 · Updated: Feb 17, 2015 by Kevin Williams | 2 Comments

    By Kevin Williams

    The Village Cupboard

    The Village Cupboard

    Right now the Amish enclave of Pinecraft, Florida is at its peak, bustling with sun-seeking snowbirds of the Plain type.  Amish and Mennonites are packed elbow to elbow now in a small slice of Sarasota enjoying the warmth and sand of Pinecraft.  The "village" as it is affectionately called does have a year-round Plain presence and the area tries to cater to them and the snowbirds by offering businesses and services that most Amish can get back home.  "Bent and Dent" groceries are a fixture in most Amish settlements, featuring deeply discounted items that are either cosmetically damaged, past their "sell by" dates or otherwise imperfect.  The result: great deals.   Pinecraft has one such business: The Village Cupboard.  I have been to Pinecraft many times but somehow not visited this business. It sounds like a great place to score a deal so I will check it out next time I am in town!  The Village Cupboard has been a fixture in the village since it was started by an Amish couple a number of years ago. The business was sold to Kathryn Graber in 2011. Graber was raised Amish so she knows the needs and wants of the local Plain population.

    What is it like operating a business in Pinecraft that is so seasonal?

    "Summer time is like a ghost town in Pinecraft, that is when our focus is to make sure that the community at large knows we are here,"  Graber says.

    Right now?  "It is wall to wall people," Graber says.

    Pinecraft has also been a magnet for reality TV producers over the past couple of years looking to take advantage of the Village's more relaxed atmosphere than Amish settlements up north.   But The Village Cupboard did not roll out the welcome mat.   Breaking Amish wanted to film in the Village Cupboard but Graber sent them on their way.

    "They wanted to film in our store, but we refused. They were not shedding a favorable light on a culture that is my heritage," Graber says

    Graber has seen many changes in Pinecraft over the years.  One notable change is a bus line that runs directly from the Amish church in Pinecraft to the Siesta Key beach.

    "Too many bikes were being stolen" Graber says.  Before the bus line from the church there was a bus stop slightly removed from the village that people had to pedal to, secure their bikes, and then leave for a day at the beach.

    "There are also more businesses that are opening up that are more tourist friendly, replacing some of the small shops that the Amish used to depend on," Graber says.

    Still, she sees the Village retain its charm and remaining a welcoming beacon for Amish snowbirds.

    "I like living in a community of people that I know.  They are honest people, great neighbors.”   Graber says of the Amish and Mennonites who populate the Village.

     

     

    « Weekly Blogroll: Amish Chicken Schnitzel, Raisin Bran Friendship Bread, Amish Soy Chicken?, and More McNulty
    Cabin Fever Series: Revisiting Alma Sue's Quilts in the Warm Florida Sun! »

    About Kevin Williams

    Hi, my name is Kevin Williams and I am owner of Oasis Newsfeatures and editor of The Amish Cook newspaper column.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sharon

      February 17, 2015 at 2:52 pm

      Pinecraft is a wonderful place to shop and eat. Have lived in Sarasota 44 years and not much has changed in that part of the county. Their quilt show in Feb. is not to be missed, neither is the quilt shop. And the furniture store has the best quality made. If you want to travel north or south, Pioneer Bus Lines has a large schedule, especially if you want to get out of the snow in Ohio or Indiana. Yoder's and Der Dutchman has marvelous food and pies like none other.

      Reply
      • Kevin

        February 17, 2015 at 3:18 pm

        Sharon, you are so, so lucky to live there! I love Sarasota!

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Kevin Williams - The Amish Editor Amish Cook Column

    Hi There, I'm Kevin!

    Welcome to Amish365, where I share my knowledge of Amish cooking and culture! I’ve spent almost three decades exploring Amish settlements and kitchens from Maine to Montana and almost everywhere in between. I’ll occasionally throw in stories of my travels, journalism adventures (I’m a Pulitzer prize-nominated journalist), fascination with grocery stores and Kmarts, and much more!

    More about me →

    Latest Amish Recipes

    • Trending Recipes: Week of July 2 - Summer Salad, Corndog Muffins, Corn Bake
    • Perfect Picnic Corn Chip Salad
    • Refreshing Creamsicle Salad
    • Amish Honey Cake Cookies
    dutchcrafters

    Download The "Almost Amish" Ebook

    Footer

    Footer

    About

    • About The Amish Editor
    • Download "Almost Amish" Ebook
    • Amish Communities
    • Amish Marketplace

    Contact

    • Work With Us
    • Contact

    *As a member of various affiliate programs I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2000 - 2020 Amish 365 | Powered by Touch The Road