History

Prior to 1970

IGA Produce Stand Mr. and Mrs. Henry Z. Martin (Miriam's parents) originally started selling produce in a roadside stand located in front of their home (now the home of the present owners, Marvin and Miriam Weaver). The stand, located under the large Maple Trees, is where the name Shady Maple Farm Market originated.

The Weavers decided to take over the business for their occupation. In July 1970, at the age of 23, they opened their first block building, approx. 65' x 65' in which they planned to sell produce. However, they took the opportunity to go with IGA and installed a grocery department. They put overhead garage doors in the building to keep the "farm market" effect. There was also a large porch outside for selling bulk produce. They began this small operation with two cash registers, a few employees, and business was good the first year.

In the fall of 1971, the Weavers decided to expand to better serve their customers. The garage doors were removed and air conditioning was installed. By the fall of the following year, a stock room was added and twenty five people were on the payroll.

In each subsequent year, additions were added and by 1976 the Weavers had 45,000 sq. ft., ten cash registers, and 130 employees. In addition, a newly remodeled in-store bakery and large warehouse was added onto the facility.

Late '70's Early '80's

From 1976 to 1980 the Weavers did some interior remodeling and added a larger employee lunchroom. They also had a small food-lunch counter.

By the spring of 1982, the Weavers launched a major expansion program to enlarge and remodel the entire store making it a total of 70,000 sq.ft. The Fast Food Cafeteria which seated 100 people, was the most noticeable change. At this time, 240 employees worked for the Weavers.

During the next few years Shady Maple constantly changed and made improvements. One major change was a computerized smokehouse to smoke their own turkeys, sausages, hams, etc. The meat and deli departments were mostly full service cases with a "farm market" effect. The Soup & Salad department continued to grow by making almost everything "from scratch" using old-fashioned "Grandma's" recipes.

Mr. Weaver bought his own produce from the Philadelphia market each week by the trailer load. The Produce department had a reputation for looking fresh and appealing and it continued to attract customers from near and far.

After the completion of the market expansion in 1982, Mr. Weaver sought new challenges. As a young man he had worked in a hospital cafeteria for two years in various capacities. With these culinary skills and concepts in the back of his mind, Mr. Weaver realized that a smorgasbord restaurant would be a natural tie-in with the grocery store business. The grocery store was purchasing meats and produce in volume and producing its own breads and pastries. All this, he decided, would be an asset to running a successful restaurant.

In the fall of 1984, the Weavers started construction on the smorgasbord. By July 1985, the new restaurant was ready for business and the customers responded wonderfully to the "all-you-can-eat-for-one-price" idea. They had over 300 seats in the smorgasbord (top level), with a gift shop and fast food restaurant on the lower level. Unfortunately for the customer, waiting in line became the norm. Popularity for the Smorgasbord grew and a one to two hour wait was not uncommon.

In April 1989, The Weavers doubled the size of the facility adding more space to all three of the divisions. By now the Smorgasbord had 180 employees and over 500-seat capacity. To everyone's amazement, the customer base grew and the lines continued because of the best kind of advertisement, "word-of-mouth."

In 1992, the Weavers completely remodeled the grocery store which took over one year to finish. Afterwards, they had a total of 110,000 sq. ft. with a large entrance foyer, which housed a beautiful waterfall. New office facilities and a state of the art bake shop were built on the second floor. The expanded bake shop alone employed over 60 people. Additionally, the in-store Cafeteria was expanded to a seating capacity of 250 people.

From 1992 to the present, small building projects were done such as new walk-in freezers, coolers, etc. Shady Maple Farm Market presently employs over 350 people.

In September 2000, the Weavers opened their fabulous brand new Smorgasbord. It is located in the same complex as the old Smorgasbord and Farm Market. Comparable to the old, the new building has two levels with the Smorgasbord on the top level and the 30,000 sq. ft. Gift Shop and Fast Food Dutchette located on the lower level. The Weavers can now seat 1,200 people which includes space for special occasions, special meetings, bus tours, etc., and they employ over 250 people in the new facility. The Fast Food Dutchette seats approximately 225 people.

The old Smorgasbord is now a furniture store containing a wide selection of beautifully well-made pieces of wood furniture. Amish craftsmen make some of the furniture from as far away as Ohio and Indiana.

The Weavers anticipated the long lines for the Smorgasbord would be a thing of the past, but this was not the case. On Saturday evenings and special event times, there can be over an hour waiting line.

Always looking for ways to better serve their customers, Marvin and Miriam saw a need to try to alleviate the long wait for dining. Marvin's vision for a banquet facility was birthed. The ability to accommodate larger groups would be an asset to their customers. The new addition, Shady Maple Banquets recently opened seats up to 1,000 people.

Today Marvin still believes in the time tested motto: "Give the customer quality food and service and you will have a customer for life."

Marvin is quick to acknowledge that his management team and employees play a vital role in making the business successful. The employee's commitment to friendliness and service make Shady Maple Farm Market and Shady Maple Smorgasbord a positive event. The Weavers also feel greatly indebted to all the people from the local and distant communities for their faithful patronage.

Ultimately, Marvin, Miriam and their three married sons, Philip, Curtis, Linford, their wives and families (eleven grandchildren), give the Lord Jesus Christ the glory for any success that has been accomplished over the years. They invite all of you to a "Shady Maple shopping" or "Shady Maple dining" experience.