Don't Miss

First community store thrived in Lititz

By Cory Van Brookhoven on July 11, 2018

It was the first “mom and pop shop” of Lititz, and the place where you could purchase everything from coffee to thimbles, brooms to bonnets, even candy to eye glasses, and so much more.

It was the Congregational Store, and during the 1700s, it did a thriving business at 120 E. Main St. Built by Matthew Tschudy in 1762 and originally opened in 1764, the gorgeous large stone building was also the eighth residence constructed in Lititz.

Inside, one could find coffins priced at $1.62; meat at 5 cents per pound, and milk priced at 8 cents a gallon. Bu why not just take home the whole cow? Do that, and you’d walk out $16. 20 less in your pocket than what you walked in with.

During this time in our history, everything in Lititz was controlled by the Moravian Church elders. The list of town regulations adopted in 1759 forbade many things, including opening certain businesses without prior consent of the leaders. This was all according to rule #28:

“The exclusive Privilege of setting up a Store, Apothecary’s Shop & Tavern is reserved for the Benefit of the Congregation Village. Besides these no other Persons shall in any Sort meddle with Store or Shop-keeping or exercise the Business of an Apothecary; nor shall any one else be allowed to keep a Publick House.”

My how things have changed.

In those days, each resident was given a plot of land to build a house, and each resident had their own business. Back then, to avoid competition, no two businesses in town were alike. As often as they could, citizens were also encouraged to purchase goods from their fellow residents and neighbors. Actually, it was the law of the land, according to rule #32:

“Goods which are to be had in Lititz, shall not, without urgent necessity, be bought elsewhere.”

It was Lititz’s original and first “shop local” mantra.

So what if what you needed wasn’t available next door? That’s where this location came in handy. For many years, it wasn’t meant to be a money-making endeavor. Rather, it was a place where staunch Moravians could shop for their daily essentials.

Shown here is a 1960s drawing created by Hiram Eberly of the 1762 Congregational Store.

Jasper Payne (the only Englishman at the time in Lititz) would eventually be put in charge of the business. He really made it thrive, and would make frequent trips to Philadelphia, coming back to Lititz with loads of unique goods to sell to the townspeople.

In 1773, Johannes Becker stepped in and oversaw the operation when Payne became weak.

When money was tight or scarce, purchases could be exchanged for farm tools. There was also a large log book at the front desk where customers could borrow on credit, and then pay back debts at a later date.

Then, in 1845, Nathaniel Wolle bought the business from the Moravian Congregation and built a new store to the east of the original building. It was here that Wolle’s – often referred to as the “Beehive Store” – would do a thriving business for many years after.

A decade later, in 1855, Lititz would finally be opened to non-Moravians. Suddenly, a whole new world opened for both current residents and transplants alike.

In the late 1800s, stucco was added over the stone. Flash forward to April of 1987. This was when the building was restored – improvements included the stone being repointed as well as new windows installed in the structure.

In March of 1983, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

These days, the old store has changed little on the outside. It still boasts the original limstone walls, as well as sandstone steps that no doubt saw many feet go in and out throughout its long history.

Cory Van Brookhoven is a staff writer for the Lititz Record Express. He welcomes your comments at cvanbrookhoven@lnpnews.com or 717-721-4423.

featured