Amana General Store

Amana General Store

The Amana Society opened a general store on this site in 1856, only a year after their arrival in Iowa.  In 1958 the original store was replaced by this structure, with additions made in the 1890s and 1930s.

 

The store carried a wide selection of goods and was used by residents as farmers and families from a wide area.  Each member of the communal Amana Society received a yearly line of credit to buy goods such as clothing, books, tobacco and other non-essentials.  The Amana Society members brought a credit book to the store and their purchases were recorded against their account.  This credit system kept individuals from receiving more than their fair share in an otherwise cashless communal society.  

 

After the members of the Amana Society voted to reorganize from a communal system to a joint stock cooperative in 1932, the east addition of the store building became the Main Office of the new corporation.  In 1971, the Main Office moved to a new building on the western edge of Amana.

 

Through the years, the store has gone through many changes, but many original features have been retained.  The General Store is not a museum, but remains an active business, catering both to the needs of Amana residents and visitors, just as it always has.

 

Submitted by

Bryan Arnold

@nanowhiskers