Head north of the city on I-79 and before Erie, but after Butler, you’ll stroll into this quaint county with brick-laced main streets, decorative and finely-trellised lamp posts, and this other-worldly assortment of shops. This week, join John and I as we discover Mercer County and all its intricacies and remind ourselves of our infatuation with chocolate!
Located snugly off of I-79 (slow down or you might miss it!) is the most adorable chocolate shop on this side of the state line! Originating out of their family kitchen almost 20 years ago, Simply Sweets is a gourmet chocolate company with a new brick-and-mortar location in Mercer, PA. With best-sellers like chocolate pizza pies, caramel, and chocolate-covered apples, as well as chocolate dunked Oreos, Simply Sweets has something for everyone’s palate. For all your holiday needs, check out simplysweetsshop.com and satisfy all your sweets this season. You just make sure on your next trip through Mercer, you swing by and tell Patty, YaJagoff sent you!
If furniture is your niche, then look no further than the Amish Peddler and their range of services. Serving as the middleman between contractor and client, the Amish Peddler is a custom furniture company with products ranging from beds, dressers, and armoires, to vanity’s, custom tables, and patio furniture. The amount of detail and precision which goes into every custom piece blew the two of us away! From customers using CAD (a engineering software) to create the exact image in their mind, to the attention to detail in wood selection and staining, to the care and love put into every piece. For all your future furniture needs, make sure to give Collin and the Amish Peddler a call or visit them at their website amishpeddler.com!
Christmas time is all the time, ammirite? That’s how it feels walking into the Wendell August department store in Grove City. From the smells of nutmeg and Christmas to plastic wrap and candles, Wendell’s is an icon in western Pennsylvania, staying in business for almost 100 years! With alternating themes each year for their Christmas decorations, this year-round holiday shop has whatever you could possibly desire. This year, they decided on an “American” themed Christmas. That means red, blue, and white ornaments galore! Make sure to stop into Wendell August or visit them online at wendellaugust.com.
And last, but surely not least, we visited Joden Jewelers, located right on Broad Street in Grove City. Started by his father Joe 20+ years ago, son and co-owner Jay Joden walked us through how his store operates. Now, this is not your average mall kiosk as Joden specializes in antique jewelry appraisal, restoration, and sales. It is a niche they’ve fully committed too and that has become their identity. Have an antique ring from a deceased grandmother? Stop by Joden Jewelers or check them out at joden.com and let them know that John and Rachael need a piece of the pie!
So, whether you’re in need of craftsman-quality furniture, have a nagging sweet tooth, found your great aunt’s necklace from the 1940’s, or just going Christmas shopping in July, Mercer County has all your needs and then some. Make sure to check out our next podcast where you can meet and see the faces of all the beautiful individuals we had the pleasure of annoying for a bit!
