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Monday, May 26, 2014

Lancaster,Pa: Zimmermans grocery closes its doors!

Another part of my childhood has closed its doors  (Zimmerman's closed this past April) as Lancaster counties tourist area's continue to change in today's economy and ever changing consumer taste. I pretty much grew-up going to Zimmerman's grocery store located in the small town of  Intercourse (Lancaster county), and I hate to give my age but I remember when Zimmerman's had gas pumps in front of its store ( late 1960s). 

My dad would sometimes get gas there for his 1968 Ford Fairlane which was new at the time, and pumping gas was always an odd sort of thing because your car would be basically half sticking out almost into the street. 

I first found out that Zimmerman's was closing by reading the local newspaper here in Lancaster county, so I was saddened but not shocked because this area is going through adjustments and changes as locals and tourist adjust how their money is spent and where its spent. People are just not staying as long in the county as they used to, with weekends being the extent of how long an average family stays here.
I have been living in the Lancaster area what will be 4 years now, and in those short years I have seen restaurants like the Family Cupboard (was the Amish Barn) and other restaurants and motels change hands or close for good. 

Zimmerman's served both the Amish and locals as well as the tourist that had flocked here for many years, and the store front was also used in the 1985 movie "Witness" staring Harrison Ford as the tough Philadelphia cop that must hide out with an Amish family in Lancaster while recovering from an accident. 

So Zimmerman's for me was much more than being
part of a movie, and is another victim of the  changing times that’s now taking place in Lancaster county.                  Richard
All Image's taken on 5-25-2014
An empty store for the first time since 1909
where the cash registers were along with Zimmerman's friendly staff to check you out.
The phone both that Harrison Ford used for the movie
Zimmerman's- 1909-2014


www.PureCountryLiving.com

I've created this website out of my own interest in the Amish/Mennonite culture and of living in the country. Its a place for people who are interested in the Amish like myself, and its also a place to share Images of the beautiful country side that is all around me. my name is Richard, and I live very close to an Amish settlement here in Pennsylvania. This site is dedicated to my mother, who had started all of this by taking me as a child to Lancaster,pa from our apartment in the Bronx projects..........THANK YOU MOM............... Richard