Our History
Ken and Margaret Schaden and their 11 children run the End of the Commons General Store, located at state routes 87 and 534 in Mesopotamia, Ohio, just 6 miles east of Middlefield.
End of the Commons General Store was established in 1840 and has been serving the community as a general store for over 170 years! After many years in corporate sales planning, Ken & Margaret found what the family was looking for in Mesopotamia; the family, living in Mesopotamia, visited the very store they own today to buy milk, groceries, and penny candy for their large family. When the store was for sale the Schadens believed that it would be a great way for their family to work together while serving the needs of their own neighborhood.
Today, upon entering the store, one will find on display old clothes, shoes, a barber chair, a post office, a player piano, and many antiques. Outside the store on a sunny summer afternoon, one may find the Schaden’s collection of cars which range from a 1916 Depot Hack to a 1957 Plymouth Belvedere.
Penny candy still lines the shelves by the checkout counter, where slots and boxes of the old post office remain. People actually ask "How much is the penny candy?" but around here it still is a penny!
One will find old-time memorabilia, old-fashioned candy, Amish country meats & cheese, hand-dipped ice cream, over 150 varieties of glass bottle soda, popcorn, home-made fudge, hard-to-find kitchen gadgets & clothing, just to name a few. It's a treasure trove of products for those filling Easter baskets or shopping for Valentine, Fall Harvest, or Christmas. Many thousands of pounds of chocolate wafers are sold for candy making at Christmas time.
Here is a neat little video that we took of this young Amish woman making our hand made brooms. She does a great job and we sell both a house broom and a heavy-duty broom.
Our train makes no stops at the store, but there are so many collectibles to see on the walls as the train rolls down the track, you'll never be bored.
End of the Commons General Store has been serving the community since 1840 and has been continuously run as a general store ever since! End of the Commons is located in the heart of Amish country in Mesopotamia, Ohio.
Watch our videos, or learn more about what's around our store, to make your visit more fun. Click Here!