It’s been said that the fastest way to a person’s heart is through the stomach, meaning great food will be sure to win your Valentine’s heart this Valentine’s Day.

If you’re looking for that special place to feed your Valentine’s heart and tummy, maybe we can be of help with our suggestions:

For those looking for gift ideas, don’t worry! We have those as well (click here for gift ideas).

Shipshewana Garden Gate Café: Shipshewana is under new ownership, and these ladies are working hard to offer fare other than the usual but delicious Amish Thresher’s Meal. They’re also staying open late on February 14 so they can help you score points with your darling Valentine by serving two specials. The first is Salmon, Baked Potato, Steamed Vegetable and a Cupcake for $11.99 and the 2nd is Pasta Special with Garlic Bread and a Cupcake for $7.25.

Blue Gate Restaurant: This cornerstone restaurant in town will be sure to please with its huge selection of dining options. From salads to steak, from broasted to baked chicken, you’ll find you’re heart’s desire here, and everyone will leave happy.

Morton Street Coffee Co.: Make sure to stop in today or tomorrow and buy a Valentine Treat for that someone special. Most notable is a “Breakfast in Bed” box that will contain 2 muffins of your choice, fresh ground coffee beans of your choice for a pot of coffee, valentine napkins, and a card. We will also have a “Breakfast for One” box if you want to give one to someone special and will not be sharing in the treat. This special treat would be my personal choice, as lounging in the morning is my favorite pastime.

Topeka

Tiffany’s: No, not the famous jeweler with dazzling diamonds, but your valentine will still be pleased if you go here for a lovely meal. Tiffany’s not only has good food; they also offer great service. Tuesday’s special includes Swiss steak, my favorite plate that I order each time I go to Tiffany’s in Topeka.

LaGrange

Chicago Joe’s: If you want personality, then you’ll find it here, with Joe Albergo and his side kick Clinton Hackworth (click here to read more about Chicago Joe’s). The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly, and the restaurant is housed in an old building where Joe himself has restored to its original beauty.

Grossman’s: This town staple is offering a special for your Valentine and you: For $39.99, you’ll enjoy a dinner for two that includes an appetizer of shrimp cocktail; entree choice of either Prime Rib or Alaskan King Crab Legs; a salad, choice of potato, and dessert. (To go to Grossman’s website, click here).

Howe

Iannarelli’s: I visited Iannarelli’s late autumn of last year, where I ordered their signature lasagna. The recipe has lasted through generations of Italian families. If this entrée is a favorite, you’ll be pleased by coming here.

We would love to hear if you visited one of these restaurants on Valentine’s Day. Please let us know what you enjoyed about your experience!

Guys: It really is the thought that counts.

And your lovely lady wants you to think of her, especially on the day when love is celebrated, that special day…

Valentine’s Day.

Lest you have forgotten to circle February 14 on your calendar in RED pen and you don’t even know where to begin in purchasing a pretty for your pretty, then today is your lucky day where we provide the list with 5 gift ideas.

You’ll find these gifts in Shipshewana, and one idea in Topeka. No malls. No crowds. No wondering around. Just purchase, give, and become a hero in her eyes.

Jana Mast of Chocolate Expressions makes chocolate covered, heart-shaped caramels.

1. Check out Lotions & Potions in the Red Barn Shoppes. You can customize a fragrance she likes, or one you would like for her.
2. While you’re in the Red Barn Shoppes, visit Red Bud Gifts & Coffee Tea Café, where owner Ann Yoder offers an abundance of teas and hand-decorated teapots.
3. Stop in at Chocolate Expressions, located on Morton Street. Jana Mast will fix you up with some of the most beautiful AND delicious hand-dipped chocolates that you’ll find anywhere. Jana has made just for Valentine’s Day a heart-shaped chocolate-covered caramel. To. Die. For.
   

   Classic Jewelers offers beautiful bling for your valentine.

4. Buy her a “classic.” At Classic Jewelers, that is, located in the Next Door Shops adjacent to Yoder Department Store. This small, hometown fine jewelry store is big on selection and customer service. Prices are actually better than chain jewelry stores. Purchase anything in any color, and watch your wife’s eyes sparkle from the reflection of her new gem.
5. Everything will come up roses when you hand her a bouquet of fresh roses from Dutch Blessing Floral, located at 260-A East North Village Drive. Topeka Pharmacy also has its coolers full of fresh flowers.
   

   Fresh flowers are always a hit for the ladies.

Tomorrow: Ideas for the evening meal.

The Pajama Sale Shipshewana retailers host every first Saturday in February has grown to be quite the event. If I hadn’t seen the town with my own eyes, I would not have believed all the people who were out shopping…in their pajamas, the mandatory dress code for receiving all the discounts offered throughout town.

People came from all over. I visited with folks from Chicago, from Wisconsin, from Oklahoma, and of course, our ever-loyal local customers.

People were happy. They get into the festivities. Maybe they’re happy because they’re comfortable in their pajamas.

Thank you to all the retailers who worked hard to make this event fun and festive for our visitors.

Thank you to all the visitors for choosing to spend time with us in Shipshewana. We hope you come back next year…February 2, to be exact.

In your new pajamas.

How far did you travel to come to the pajama sale?

What did you enjoy about your visit to Shipshewana?

Take a look at this video of shoppers enjoying their time. Shipshewana Pajama Sale

Eenie, meenie, miney, mow
Will I visit the auction,
Or go to the antique show?…

This week, Shipshewana offers both an auction and a show!

Shipshewana has been holding auctions since…well…forever. The experience is fascinating. Check out this video for a taste of the setting where dozens of auctioneers are lilting out their wares…all at the same time! Click here to see the video.

Tomorrow at the Antique Auction building, the Old & Contemporary Folk Art Auction will be going on at the same time the regular Wednesday auctions take place.

How would you like to be the proud owner of this guitar dressed up with better-than-rhinestones bottle caps?…

Or, bid on this heart-shaped box with a Babe Ruth photo for your Valentine.

You will see these items and many more. Come get in on the action!

Is an auction not quite the right setting for you?

Then venture to the Antique & Collectibles Show this Saturday, 9-5, also at the Antique Auction Building.

You’ll not find auctioneers at this show, but you will find row upon row of beautiful items from the past.

Looking for that walnut commode stand? Got it.

How about a dresser or coffee table your guests will ooh and aah over? Got that, too.

Clocks, signs, glassware, linens…

My girlfriend once found herself bringing home an entire truckload of outdoor furniture, and she didn’t even own a truck! Talk about a dilemma.

If you like unique, one-of-a-kind items, or if you are looking to add to your special collection of treasures, you’ll love these events.

Just make sure you bring a truck.

Click here for more information on the Folk Art Auction.

Click here for more information on the Antiques & Collectible Show

Once upon a time, from a land not too far,
There were horses and buggies, sometimes a car…
A place to come shop, slow down, have some fun
With friends, family, kids–a daughter or son.

On February 4, the town comes alive:
Wearing pajamas, lots of people arrive
from Chicago, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo,
Even Oklahoma, the Sooner State, too!

Men with their wives, wives with their friends,
Friends with more friends, the fun never ends!
In flannels, in satin, in silk and in fleece,
with patterns like cupcakes, kittens, and geese.

They line up so early, they’re ready at 6
in the morning, that is…this isn’t a trick.
They shop in their jammies, they grab up great deals
They shout with delight, “I bought this for a steal!”

Folks hustle on  to 350 South Van Buren Street
To the tourism place, the LaGrange CVB
Where they register for free a Girls’ Getaway
Now wouldn’t winning that just make your day?

After a nice treat of warm coffee and rolls,
With a wave of the hand, out the door they stroll
To grab up more gifts, specials, and finds
In this small town–it’s one of a kind!

With whistles and smiles, with contentment and laughter
Everyone lives happily ever after
So come back next year, we know that you wanna,
To the pajama sale in the town of Shipshewana.

Feel free to copy and print the list of retailers and their sales!

Last week I wrote about local business Topeka Seed and Stove for our Business of the Month (click here to read that blog). This retailer, like so many in our area, is special because, not only does it reflect the long-held American ethic of hard work paying off, it also shares a long, vibrant history with its local culture.

Topeka Seed and Stove started with a man and a shovel in 1937. Omer Hochstetler began by spreading marl on fields (marl is a type of clay and lime fertilizer) using trucks pulling a barrel spreader. When Omer’s brother joined him, Omer paid him $2.00 per day, a really good salary for that time.

In the early 1940’s, Omer purchased a semi and began hauling shelled corn as well as coal. In 1964, he installed a grain elevator, but in 1965, he passed away at the young age of 53. Sons Bill and James, along with their mother, continued operations.

In the early 1980’s the railroad was being removed from Topeka, and several hundred car rail grain terminals were going within 35 miles of Topeka, which made it impossible to compete in the grain market. That is when Topeka Seed & Feed across from Topeka Livestock came up for sale, which the family purchased for a second business.

With their previous experience in hauling and selling coal, in 1984 Topeka Seed & Stove was formed, and along with farm supplies, the Hochstetlers began selling wood & coal stoves as well. Then along came the invention of outdoor wood furnaces, which was incorporated into the business in 1986.

With such a nice, resounding history of Topeka Seed & Stove, they know how to run a business, and they know how to treat customers with kindness and fairness. Even though they’re in the heating business, in a manner of speaking, they never have a slow business month, in part due to customer loyalty.

The other nice thing about this business is that, because it’s located in a small town, many locals stop in just to say hello during the week. There’s the older gentleman Harley Frye, who sometimes will even jump in to help if necessary. Many farmers stop in weekly as well.

Some specific guys come in on Friday, which helps the owners know what day of the week it is.

What a nice thought…to know the day of the week simply because you recognize a friendly face.

Whenever you travel to LaGrange County, stop in at Topeka Seed & Stove, regardless of your need for seed, grain, or heating. The folks are salt of the earth, and they’ll be glad you visited. They also will share more history and little known facts about our little area of the world.

Click here to visit Topeka Seed and Stove website as well as get directions to their store.

LaGrange County is a great place to help you get away from the busy-ness of life, to settle down, settle in, and catch up.

Catch up with your girlfriends, that is. Three of them with you, as a matter of fact.

For free.

All you have to do is register to win.

Saturday, February 4, during the big Pajama Sale event, stop by the LaGrange County Convention & Visitors Bureau Visitors’ Center between 6 am and noon and fill out that little piece of paper, pop it in the basket, and maybe your name will be drawn!

You don’t know unless you register….

Here’s what you get:

• 1 overnight stay for 4
• dinner for 4
• tickets for 4 to the Blue Gate Theater

While you’re at the Visitors’ Center, grab some flyers and brochures of your favorite places so you can plan ahead in case you do win.

What’s the catch?

There is none. Pretty unbelievable, eh? Well, that’s how we like to treat our friends.

And their girlfriends.

We trust you have your pajamas washed up, if not already packed, for the February 4 Pajama Sale in Shipshewana.

You have your hotel room booked, and you have the games set out or the books and magazines set aside to catch up on some good reading.

The only thing left to do is make a plan on the shops you want to hit at the sale.

Leave that last detail up to us.

First, you will want to stop in at the LaGrange County Convention & Visitors Bureau at our new location. We’re now located in the “Next Door Shops” just south of Yoder’s Shopping Center. For you GPS-owners, our address is 350 South Van Buren Street (SR 5), Suite H.

We open at 6 am on February 4, and we’re sharing hot drinks, bottled water, and some of our favorite locally made baked goods until noon. We’ll get you caffeine-ed up, sugared-up, and ready to shop the day away.

We have another little surprise, but you’ll have to read tomorrow’s blog to find out what it is.

And, we’re also sharing the list of retailers and their specials.

But just in case you get side-tracked along the way, below is the list of participating shops we have to date. Note that some of them, for the first time, will begin their pajama party on Friday evening.

Here’s the list:

Lotions & Potions: 5-6am 40% off — 6-8am 30% off — 8-10am 25% off

Parker’s Outlet Center: 5-8am 20% off — 8-10am 10% off

Red Barn Bargain: 5-7am 35% off — 7-8am 30% off — 8-10am 25% off

Red Bud Gift Shoppe: 20% off Everything — (Fresh Baked Cinnamon Rolls)

Simple Heart: 10 % off store wide Excluding Battery Candles and Furniture

The Lang Store: 6-9 am – 30% off store-wide

The Trading Place Antique Gallery: 9am – 5pm – offering a wide variety of discounts by participating vendors as well as free donut holes and coffee!

Victorian Candy Company: 5-12noon: 5-15% off entire purchase

Vintage Mast Antiques: Store wide sale -all day (50% off -5am  to 6am )   (40% off – 6am to 8am) (30% off – 8am to 10am) (20% off 10am to 5pm)

Wana Cabinets and Furniture: 5-9am 30% off in stock items — up to 50% off Selected Items

Yoder Department Store: 8-10 am — 20% off everything in the fabric department 10 am – 5:30 pm –Finish the bolt and get 10% off — Remnants 50% off

A Little Bit of Lolly’s: 6 am – 5 pm – Fat Quarters $1.00 each – 30% off wide backings

Along the Pumpkinvine: Friday evening 5-8 pm – 30% off store-wide *no jammies required* Saturday 5-9 am – 30% off

Cuddle Corner: 6-9 am – 30% off store-wide

Country Spice Decor: 5-6am 35% off — 6-8am 30% off — 8-10am 25% off

Hostetler’s Main Street Shoppe: Specials throught the day – deep discounts beginning at 5 am

J Farvers II: 5-6am 40% off — 6-8am 30% off — 8-10am 25% off

Kids Kreations: 5-9 am – “1⁄2 price on select dolls” – (or buy 2 of anything storewide & get 1 free) 9 am – 5 pm –  buy 3 & get 1 free storewide Fabric, Lace, & Ribbon $1.00 per yard

Lambright Woodworking: 9 am – 4:30 pm — 25% off storewide all in stock furniture

Lasting Impressions: Friday eveing 5-8 pm – 30% off store-wide *no jammies required* Saturday 5-9 am – 30% off

Lolly’s Fabrics: 6-9 am – 30% off store-wide – Fabric is cut in 1 yard increments ONLY 6-9 am – 30% off store-wide – Fabric is cut in 1 yard increments ONLY – Empty a bolt of fabric & get your name entered into a prize drawing!!!!  Empty a bolt of fabric & get your name entered into a prize drawing!!!! *Lolly’s Fabrics will close at 9 am and reopen at 10am with regular hours.

If your car stalls, you leave your directions in your room, and you’ve lost your store information, stop in! We help with de-stressing, too.

Saturday evening is LaGrange’s Chili Bowl Shuffle! Read about it by clicking here.

Tomorrow: Register for our Girlfriend Getaway!

LaGrange knows how to throw a Super Bowl party.

The entire town gets involved, and they invite anyone and everyone from far and wide.

On Saturday, February 4, they’re hosting the first annual LaGrange Super Bowl Chili Shuffle downtown.

From 2-8 pm, you can sample all the varieties of chili by “shuffling” between four local downtown restaurants: Chicago Joe’s, Brick House Inn, Courtside Restaurant, and Our Place Café.

I featured Chicago Joe’s in a summer blog. I didn’t talk about their chili, but I sure raved about their sandwiches and pizza. Click here to read the blog.

Admission costs $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for kids and includes all the sampling you want, along with a FREE raffle ticket for prizes from local stores, who also are getting in on the action.

For more information on this event, you can call or e mail Cheryl Albergo, “Chicago Joe’s” wife, at 260.463.1903 or cherylalbergo@embarqmail.com.

It’s gonna’ be a hot time in this chili town!

With January being one of the coldest months in Northern Indiana, our thoughts can’t help but turn toward staying warm.

A few years back, our friends purchased a corn stove from Topeka Seed and Stove. Their home stays comfortable during the winter, and we enjoy gathering around the stove with our hands stuck out toward the heat, coffee cups nearby, and sharing great conversation.

Our friends aren’t Amish. They simply were looking for an alternative heat source. As a matter of fact, while Topeka Seed & Stove is located in the heartland of Amish country and a number of customers are Amish, the company sells many products to mainstream Americans. Many customers travel up to 200 miles to purchase from this family owned business.

Topeka Seed & Stove sells stoves, furnaces, stainless steel chimneys, and volcanic rock masonry chimneys. The business markets over 17 different models of stoves and furnaces. They also have over 100 stoves and furnaces on display.

One popular item out-of-towners enjoy is the cook stove. It looks antique and old-fashioned, but works like a modern stove.

Another popular item is the outdoor wood furnace, which Topeka Seed and Stove began selling in 1986, once they found a quality product from Central Boiler Outdoor Woodstoves. Today, Topeka is one of the oldest and largest Central Boiler dealers.

We have another set of friends who have installed an outdoor wood furnace. They even heat their pool with this alternative heat source!

This little store does a huge business selling warmth. They actually started in 1937 not with stoves, but by servicing farmers by spreading marl, a fertilizer of sorts containing lime and clay. More on their history next week.

The best thing about Topeka Seed & Stove is that it is a homegrown business; fourth generation Hochstetlers work in the store today.

Local, family-owned businesses and their stories really warm my heart.

Next week: Learn the history of Topeka Seed and Stove.

Topeka Seed and Stove is located at 514 East Lake Street, Topeka, Indiana.

Click here to visit their website.

Have you or someone you know purchased a stove or other products from Topeka Seed and Stove? Let us know about it!