[BrowserCat]

"...for [the] Industry Catering to Survivalists".

"Once seen as a radical and paranoid ideology, survivalism is expanding as a business, and growing fast.

Lehman's, an Ohio retailer of home self-sufficiency equipment, has recorded large sales increases, with water-pump sales up 95 percent and sales of home agriculture equipment up 50 percent from last fall. The growth is coming from across the preparedness spectrum, from the curious buyer to the serious die-hard, says Glenda Ervin, the firm's vice president of marketing."

More here.

 

[Lowdown3]

It comes and goes. "Boom and bust" has been the theme of the industry in the 16+ years I've been involved with it. Feast for a couple months, famine for a few years. People are fickle, one day they want to prepare, the next day some idjit on the TV tells them everything is o.k. and they go back to Lala Land.

 

[Jasmine_xoxo]

A lot of non survivalists shop at Lehman's too nowadays (ie hippie/ wannabes).

 

[ookpik]

Awesome! I am glad they are busy and business is good. Better than "video game sales are up 200%". The more people prepped, the better. Kind of makes me want to open my own survival/prep business.

 

[Ramona M. Faunce]

The more that become selfsufficient, the better it is for everyone.

 

[Pixelguy]

Lehman's is an excellent company and I am a regular customer.

I own oil lamps, wicks, lamp oil and many other useful items from them.

They specialize in low tech, non electric and mechanical items. Old-fashioned tools made with modern technology.

The are also one of the few or only source for hard-to-find items such as propane and natural gas powered refrigerators, freezers, woodburning cook stoves, etc.

They also make many of their items, such as the excellent hand cranked apple peeler, woven bicycle handlebar baskets, etc.

Many of their fabricators - and their customers, that's how they started decades ago - are Amish and Mennonite. The company/store is located in Ohio in the midst of the largest concentration of Amish in the world.

Note that while they have an excellent on-line catalog and you can order and pay for items online, request their free paper catalogs because they list many more items.

http://www.lehmans.com

 

[captintux]

They recently added floor space to their retail store in Kidron Ohio almost doubling in size. If anyone gets a chance to visit there, it is well worth it. My wife and visit at least once a year.