Harness Shop

Also known as the Women's Building

The historic Olivet Store building was moved to the Pioneer Acres during the Fall of 1999. Since then volunteers have spent hours working to restore the building. Flooring from the demolished three story Menno School building was removed, cleaned, and used as the new tongue and groove wooden flooring and glass windows for the Olivet Store building. History of the building was researched by Donna Zeeb who interviewed Olivet residents and family members. Landy and Leno Bingaman and family moved to Olivet from the farm in the early 1920s. He started a harness shop on Main Street. Mariette (Haar) Rames of Olivet remembers as a small remembers as a small child the oil barrel sitting by the window and Mr. Bingaman sitting in the corner working and fixing harness with a big sewing machine. He had two long tables in the shop. He sold overalls, shirts, socks, and penny candy. Years later the harness business slowed down because of machinery, he decided to move this building from Main Street to ½ block north which was across the street west of the courthouse, and set it beside their home. Here he started a variety store. Valeda Rames remembers some of the things he sold were sewing items thread, Turkish towels, and ladies’ hankies. Opal Johnson stated that he also sold pretty bowls, different trinkets and various gift items. Sold penny candy and bars and a grade school was just east of the store. The children would come over and stand on his bench stool so they could see the candy through the glass covered counter and decide what to buy. Early 1950s he closed the store. In 1952, Clarence (Poofer) and Helen Kratz, who had been running a store in Olivet, decided to build a new store on Main Street. Kratz bought this small building from Bingaman and moved it to on the West side of his new store where it had originally been located as a harness shop. Kratz used it as a storage building for different seeds such as corn, alfalfa, grass, and block salt which he sold. In 1965, the store and this small building were sold to Ray and Erna Zeeb who ran the store and used this small building in the same manner. In 1979, the Zeebs sold the store and small building to Steven Kepplinger who used both buildings for storage. Then this small 16’X26’ building was purchased by Mervin Guthmiller of Menno who then donated it to the Power Show site. It has been repaired by volunteers and is now known as the Women’s Building where a different type of display is put in the building each year for the Power Show. The family of Landy Bingaman donated a 1902 ledger of the Bingaman family store which shows their expenses of the year 1902 and 1903 and it also has his signature in the book.