That Holiday Chill in the Air!

That chill in the air this morning got us thinking of.... Christmas! Yes, the Christmas items are back at our Ithaca location! Stop in and get an early taste of the holiday season!

Repo Mania!

The big Repo sale is a huge success! Hanshaw has one more shed that needs a home: an 8x12 floorless A-Frame with transom windows, extra windows an an extra arched door for.... $1,500! Stop in and adopt it today!

Free Ramps for Labor Day!

Happy Labor Day, everyone! We've got a special deal for you today only! Stop by any Thee Amish Market and purchase a shed, and we'll throw in a free ramp as a thank-you! Everyone deserves a little customer appreciation, and we sure do appreciate you!

Fall's Winning!

Ah, that crisp feeling is starting to show up in the air and a couple trees around here are beginning to turn. I think fall is finally winning the arm-wrestling match with summer that's been going on for a couple weeks now. Not a bad time of year for a comfy new chair to snuggle up in with a blanket...

Gazebo-Loads of Fun at the Fair!

The NY State Fair is fantastic this year! It's an enormous sea of food, rides, games, and of course, Thee Party Gazebo! 95X radio is sponsoring a happy hour in our big gazebo set up there at night and during the day, it's the hilarious Mullet Watch! So far, 95X has tallied up almost 300 mullet sightings at the fair and there are T-shirts to celebrate it! Most importantly, Thee Amish Market is giving out a fantastic trio of coupons: Free ramp with shed purchase, save $200 on a $4,000 shed, and free solar shed lamp with shed purchase! There's still time to stop by the fair, so come see us!

See You at the Fair!

Hey, all!

Thee Amish Market will be at the great NY State Fair this week! Friendly faces, great deals, and a happy hour party gazebo hosted by 95X! Come see us and grab a flyer for some incredible savings!

A New Home for our Hanshaw Store!

Hey, fans!

Thee Amish Market in Ithaca has some fantastic new jewelry sets by Loxie, one of our talented local artists. A master of weaving beautiful beads and wire, you just have to see her work to believe it! Bracelets, necklaces and earrings are available at bargain prices! Spoil that wife, mother, girlfriend or daughter in your life. Better yet, spoil yourself! Stop by and check them out!

Fall is Coming...

Hey, fans!

Today's a little warmer, but the two days before is making us think of fall. Before you know it, the leaves will be changing, the apples and grapes will be ripe and there will be that nice, crisp chill to the air. What's your favorite part of fall? Autumn-themed scented candles to burn on a chilly night? Cozy quilts? Gourmet hot chocolate mixes? Tell us and we can stock your favorite fall things.

Banners Galore!

We were hunting around in the back a few days ago and came across a boatload of banners! Designs of all sorts, from birds and fall harvest themes to Happy Birthday banners. We've got the hardware to hang them up outdoors, too. Check 'em out!

German Christmas Daydreaming

Hey, Amish Market fans!

We've been doing a lot of daydreaming here at Thee Amish Market recently and we'd like to know what you think. In Chicago throughout the month of December, there's a huge German Christmas market downtown. It's just full of both after booth of venders from all over the world, but most are from Germany and Austria. You'll find hand-blown glass ornaments, woodcrafts, nutcrackers, smokers and all sorts of decorations and gifts to put you into the holiday mood in no time flat. What would you think if we converted one of our sheds into our own little German Christmas market during the holiday season? Sounds like a blast to us!

Busy, busy!

Whew! What a busy day today! The furniture is flyin' here so grab some outdoor furniture before the season winds down!

No More Munchies!

Is your stomach growling? Stop the madness by visiting us down here at Thee Amish Market in Ithaca! We've got more varieties of jams than the average grocery store, with everything from classic Strawberry to new twists on your old PB & J like Blueberry and Raspberry Rhubarb! Mustards, pickled veggies and garlic, butterscotch and horehound candy, and even chocolates from Life's So Sweet in Trumansburg, NY! So stop by Thee Amish Market and eradicate those munchies!

Chicken Coops

Come check out our 4x6 Chicken Coop at our Ithaca location! Why put your new chicks in a Super 8 when you can pamper them in the Hilton of chicken coops? 3x4 and 4x8 also available!

Give me your Ideas

Here at Thee Amish Market in Ithaca, we're bouncing around some ideas for new stock in the store. What do you love that stores in Ithaca just don't seem to carry? Send your ideas my way!

It's Been a While

Hey, all! Well, it's been a while since we've posted on here, so let's do some catching up, shall we?

First off, we're having a fabulous sale here this weekend (7/24/10-7/25/10)! 25% off all of our outdoor furniture except folding Adirondack chairs, 10% off all Amish-built sheds and 5% off all of our Price Buster sheds!

What's a Price Buster, you ask? For those of you who don't know, the Price Buster is our newest line of simple storage sheds made by our own builders in Seneca County. Originally composed of plain T-1-11, the Price Busters have since evolved into nice, sturdy structures with aluminim corner trim and paint. It's a great, low-cost answer to your basic storage needs!

Off We Go!

Hello Hello!

It's getting so nice, soI just wanted to let you know a few things about our 2010 season:

1. Rent To Own. We are doing a special deal now on all structures, including sheds, horse barns, garages, gazebos, even chicken coops and playsets/playhouses. No credit check, just put your last three payments as your deposit, pay your first month and we deliver! Check with us for more info.

2. Price Buster Sheds. In response to requests to a greater variety of price points, Thee Amish Market has developed a line of high-quality, no frills sheds designed to save you money!

3. Focus on quality. We are downsizing our Romulus location, but don't worry! We'll still carry all of your favorite Amish-crafted furniture and goods, but we'll be selling them out of just one of our massive buildings. Is there a bedroom set or hutch you've had your eye on? No worries! We still have our connections with all of our builders. We're just stocking the cream of the crop items. Ask us and we can get it for you.

We'll return to our regular hours starting April 1st at ALL locations.

Lastly, I wanted to formally welcome Katie Austin to our team. Katie has been with us helping run the Ithaca Mall store since November, and we couldn't get enough of her laid-back attitude and great illustrations! Stop by our Hanshaw Road location and say hi!!

Steven
Thee Amish Market

Local Vendor Spotlight: Life's So Sweet Chocolates

Thee Amish Market is proud to announce our newest local vendor, Life's So Sweet Chocolates from Trumansburg! From her website (www.lifessosweet.com):

ONE SWEET STORY

"Exquisite chocolate doesn't just happen - it takes time, effort and lots of love"

Owner Darlynne Overbaugh has been making chocolate since she was eight years old. Taught basic skills by her mother, Darlynne continued to create confections through the years while learning new techniques, recipes and methods along the way. In February 2008, Darlynne took those skills and opened Life’s So Sweet Chocolates on Main Street in Trumansburg New York. What makes her company unique is its blend of classic candies and handmade chocolates with new flavor combinations and presentation techniques.

We all know that regular, everyday chocolates are a little cliché, but this IS THE chocolate that they will absolutely LOVE. Come to Thee Amish Market for these perfect items for your sweetie:

• A pound of AMAZING chocolates in a romantic box
• Chocolate Fondue Sets (microwavable for convenience!!) for that perfect night
• Chocolate sampler gift boxes
• Just a little taste: Individual pieces only 99¢ - $1.49.
  
  

Our New Lot in Georgia Pictures!

View TAMGA in a larger map

Anthony, Bill and Anthony's brother John have been setting up our NEW STORE in Newnan Georgia, just south of Atlanta:


View Larger Map

Here's some photos from Anthony's cell phone:

New Sheds on Lot

We just received a nice shipment in of Amish-built sheds! Check out these beauties:

2 Joe Schmucker built 10x12 board and batton Quaker sheds with metal roofs. This one has a green roof and the double doors on the gable end, with an additional 3' pass door on the front

This guy has a grey metal roof and double doors centered in the front.

ALSO:

10x16 Quaker Standard with 3' workbench/shelf/low loft, 6' ramp and end vents

10x16 Quaker Deluxe with 2' workbench AND a 3' loft

Thee Sign Shoppe

Howdy! We're really getting our new Thee Sign Shoppe into high gear! Our latest flyer:

Call us for your yard signs, business signs, car magnets or banners today!!

Steven

Winter Hours

Thee Amish Market's hours for the winter are as follows:

Romulus Location
CLOSED

Hanshaw Rd Ithaca Location
OPEN 10-6 Wednesday-Sunday

Syracuse Location
OPEN 9-5 Saturdays and Sundays

We will resume our normal hours on March 1st. Enjoy the snow!

Happy Holidays from Thee Amish Market

All locations of Thee Amish Market will be closed December 25. Have a great Christmas!

Christmas Trees: Myth vs. Reality

from www.christmastree.org

10 Biggest Myths about Christmas Trees

Myths, urban legends, misperceptions and sometimes outright lies. We know there are some crazy things that people have been told about Real Christmas Trees over the years. And this has led to a large number of confused consumers. While many of these myths can be traced back to the fake tree industry, many are like urban legends ... they just sort of exist and nobody really knows how they started.

Now, NCTA is launching the “Great De-Myth-ification Campaign” with its 10 Biggest Myths About Christmas Trees, designed to provide straight-forward answers and facts in a simple, compiled list. The top 10 list is culled from emails received by consumers, plus questions by news media and messages on blogs and such. Each year, NCTA receives more than 2,000 inquiries from the public, so we have a pretty good feel for what people think about Christmas Trees. Here are the 10 biggest myths, in no specific order:

MYTH #1: Real Christmas Trees are cut down from forests.
BUSTED: Seriously, do people still believe this? To be completely accurate, in a few locations around North America, the Forest Service sells permits for people to harvest wild trees. They do this in places to create fire breaks. But it’s a very tiny percentage of all trees used. Most trees come from a farm where someone plants them. And each year, growers plant one to three seedlings for each tree harvested.

MYTH #2: You save a tree by using a fake tree.
BUSTED: This is obviously tied to Myth #1, and also directly attributable to the fake tree industry. We’ve got copies of ads for fake trees that say exactly that: “Save a tree." Of course, this is false, because trees are a crop. They are planted by farmers to be used specifically as Christmas Trees. Close to half a billion trees are currently growing on tree farms in the U.S. alone. The really ironic part of the ad for the fake tree is one of the selling points is that it comes in a sturdy cardboard box. Ummm, how exactly is that saving a tree?

MYTH #3: Real Christmas Trees aggravate allergies.
BUSTED: Often, we get emails and inquiries from news media asking if there is a type of Christmas Tree that won’t bother a person’s allergies. We’ve collected sources of information both about trees and allergies and share these with people.

Sources include the National Institute of Environmental Health Science (NIEHS) and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI). So it’s not just “the Christmas Tree people” saying that the farm-grown tree itself is not the culprit.

A quick summary of the sources we have found are that while it’s possible that a person may be allergic to tree pollen or even tree sap, it’s not as widespread as many believe. We have read that in rare cases, people can have an allergy to certain species of tree sap.

As for pollens, which certainly can be an allergen to people, a Real Tree itself is unlikely to produce pollen during December, and even if it did, pollens from pines are not a known allergen. According to the NIEHS of the 50,000 different kinds of trees, less than 100 have been shown to cause allergies. Most allergies are specific to one type of tree.

But being outdoors for years in the field, a Christmas Tree can collect pollens, dust, mold or other allergens. Of course, so can the artificial tree stored in the attic or basement. Whether you use a fresh Christmas Tree from a farm, or an artificial tree stored in a box, if you have sensitive allergies to dust, molds, etc., AAAAI recommends you spray the tree down in the yard with a hose before putting up. Let it dry completely before bringing indoors.

Resources we have found pertaining to holiday allergy prevention include:www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/conditions/asthma/pollen.cfm#tree
www.aaaai.org/media/news_releases/2004/11/111204.stm
www.hoptechno.com/book46.htm

MYTH #4: It's better to use a fake tree because you can re-use it each year.
BUSTED: That’s a very short-sighted perspective. According to research, most fake trees are only used 6 to 9 years before they’re disposed. Even if you would use one for 20 years or more, it will eventually be thrown away and end up in a landfill. And unlike Real Trees, which are biodegradable and recyclable, fake trees are always a burden to the environment.

MYTH #5: Christmas Trees are a fire safety hazard and frequently catch on fire.
BUSTED: You’d certainly think so by watching the local “Action News” team on TV. Each year, many of them show a dramatic image of a tree bursting into flames, intending to scare people into watching the news. And the anchor/reporter will say, “If you get a Christmas Tree, this could happen to you ...” The reality is, a tree being accidentally ignited is EXTREMELY rare. As in 0.0004%. And those images of trees burning? They’re often aided by gasoline or lighter fluid. Don’t believe it? Just watch this...

MYTH #6: Real Trees cost too much.
BUSTED: Like anything else, you can find a wide range of prices, and spend what you want to spend. It all depends on what you’re looking for in a tree. Prices vary by many variables including: location of retail lot, where the tree was harvested, species, size, grade, who’s selling it and even sometimes day of the week. The bottom line is, you can spend $15 to over $200 on a tree in many places.

My favorite part is when fake tree people try to use this as a selling point. “You can get your investment in a fake tree back in as little as 3 years...blah, blah.” That’s called “funny math” where I’m from. If I spend $20 on a Christmas tree from a farm each year and you spend $300 on a fake tree, you’d have to use it for 15 years (way past the average) before I will have spent the same amount as you.

MYTH #7: Fake trees are fireproof.
BUSTED: Um, no, they’re not. They catch on fire every year. According to a report from the National Fire Protection Association, 28% of home fires involving a Christmas Tree were a fake one.

MYTH #8: Real Christmas Trees have pesticides and chemicals on them.
BUSTED: Myths such as this often get a foothold due to the disconnect that most people have with agricultural practices. Christmas Tree farmers do not use chemicals in a "harmful" manner. Chemicals are used only when needed and only according to the specified instructions and regulations of the EPA, the USDA and the FDA. Christmas Tree farmers live on their land and raise their families there. They would not engage in an activity that would put their families, employees or the people they sell their product to in harms way. To suggest otherwise is at best uninformed, and at worst, offensive.

There has never been a scientific research article suggesting that harmful levels of chemical residue exists on Christmas Trees, and in fact there have been studies looking for it. On the flip side, there have been studies showing a potential health danger of lead dust coming from plastic trees. The state of California requires a warning label on fake trees and wreaths. Watch this clip

MYTH #9: Real Christmas Trees end up in landfills.
BUSTED: Christmas Tree recycling programs are available nationwide, and many are quite creative. A farm-grown Christmas tree is 100% biodegradable, so it can be used for all kinds of things in nature, from mulch to erosion control. Fake trees?....see Myth #4 above. People often lament the sight of Christmas trees at the curb after Christmas...but they don't realize that many communities have curb-side pick up as part of their recycling program. They're not "being thrown in the trash" or ending up in landfills. They're waiting to be put into the recycling program.

MYTH #10: Real Christmas Trees are a hassle and a mess.
BUSTED: It's all relative. The first thing to ask someone if they say “I don’t want a Real Tree because I might have to vacuum up needles” is this: Does that mean you don’t vacuum normally? I mean, vacuuming should be a regular household chore all year long. So what if the tree drops some needles - you’re going to vacuum anyway right?....RIGHT?

Second, who says it has to be a hassle? (Hint: the fake tree people.) There are many places to buy a tree and all offer something a little different. If you want to spend a lot of time with family or friends getting your tree and have some entertainment, go to a Choose & Cut farm. If you want a huge variety of trees, both species and sizes, go to a specialty lot. If you want to support your community organizations in the process, buy one from a nonprofit selling them as a fundraiser. If you just want a tree quick and easy, then go to a lot designed for that. If you want to just point and click and have your tree delivered to your front door, then buy one online. Bottom line, don’t let someone tell you it’s a hassle, because you can decide how much time to spend getting a tree.

Third, the hard goods used with a farm-grown tree have come a long way. There are many different styles and types of tree stands...pick one that's easy for you, as long as it holds enough water. There are funnels, cleverly designed to blend into the tree, that make adding water easier. I have a round mat with a waterproof backing to put under my stand so any water drops don't stain my floor ...it cost me like four bucks or something.

You may often hear it's a hassle to water a farm-grown tree every day. Really? That takes, what...an extra 25 seconds per day? Sheesh, get real, no pun intended. I spend more time than that making my picks in the weekly office football pool.

It’s all relative. The time invested in buying and maintaining a farm-grown Christmas tree is nothing compared to what you get out of it. A good feeling. Memories. A home that “smells” like Christmas. Knowledge that you made a good environmental choice. That's not a hassle, that's a blessing.

Great Xmas Gift Idea

Just in time for the holidays Thee Amish Market was able to puchase JUST TWO CASES (24 total items) at a DEEP DISCOUNT and we are passing along the savings to you! Normally these sell at Amazon.com for $30 plus shipping, but we have them for only $24.95! Hurry, the quantities are limited!