Well, not exactly. But working through Lehman’s Hardware Store in Kidron, Ohio, is not for the faint of heart. It’s huge! And it’s much more than a hardware store.

Since Road Trip 2024 is about simplicity and tradition, image my surprise when, upon entering, I found myself standing in front of a wall display explaining “For a Simpler Life.” In a sense, that’s what Lehman’s is all about. They could also have displayed “We’re more than a hardware store,” but I do like that their welcome ties to the Road Trip 2024 theme.

You can easily get a stiff neck. In every department, there are antique representations of the products carried displayed above the items. The lamp department not only sells non-electric lamps, there are examples of different types used throughout the years. I’m not sure how they did it in the stove department.

Customer service is more than available. We asked one bright and cheery cashier if she knew where everything was, and she was quick to admit she did not and had no expectation she ever would. We weren’t looking for something specific, but I’ll bet if we were, she’d have enlisted others to help with the search. One thing that makes shopping here interesting is that you’ll find things you didn’t know you needed but now have to have.

The store, started in 1955, exists “to create a Simpler Life for you and your loved ones.” It doesn’t get much simpler than that. We’ve long ordered through their catalog and online, but it was great to experience the store in person. It may be a good thing we don’t live closer.

In an effort to keep things simple, we had dinner at the Downtown Diner in Berlin. We had to walk through the ice cream parlor to get to the dining area. When I noted that it could be tempting to have ice cream for supper, the hostess replied. “People do!”

We didn’t yield to temptation, but we also didn’t have room for ice cream after eating more sensibly. (That might be a misnomer, now that I think about it.)