END OF THE COMMONS A slower pace with modern convenience

False storefronts connect an 1840s general store to a 1940s-style gas station.
MESOPOTAMIA -- In a fast-paced world of supersized supercenters, shopping at the End of the Commons General Store in Mesopotamia is like stepping back to a simpler time.
The store's plank floorboards creak with age; peppy, old-time music rattles off the player piano and curious, old-fashioned products such as pine tar soap, shoofly pie mix, corn meal mush and Clove chewing gum line the shelves.
Store owners Ken and Peter Schaden strive to create a homey, 19th-century atmosphere in their circa-1840 building, which is located on Mesopotamia's quaint "commons" at state Routes 87 and 534 in Trumbull County.
"This building has always been a general store, and we try to recreate the old-fashioned, general store atmosphere for our customers," Peter said.
Always something new
Of course, that doesn't mean that End of the Commons doesn't change with the times or keep pace with its larger competitors.
The Schadens are always adding something new and interesting to their establishment.
In July, they erected a row of false storefronts to connect the End of the Commons to a neighboring 1940s service station they also own and operate.
"We wanted to build something that would encourage customers to walk from the general store to the gas station, but we wanted it to be pleasing to the eye and to connect the two buildings while blending two very different time periods. The store was built in 1840, and the gas station was built in 1940, so that's a 100-year time difference," Peter said.
With this goal in mind, the Schadens designed a series of storefronts that gradually connect the two periods.
All of the storefronts bear names of actual businesses that were once located in Mesopotamia, such as Eagle Hotel, B.D. Woodford Butcher and C.F. Peck Drug Store.
Art students from Cardinal High School in Middlefield painted the storefronts, and Amish carpenters added a boardwalk and benches where customers can stroll and eat ice cream during warmer months.
The end result is a charming, attention-getter that lures general store patrons to the service station, which is exactly what the Schadens were hoping for.
Hard-to-find sodas
The Schadens have owned the End of the Commons since 1982, but they only recently purchased and renovated the gas station.
"Our goal with the gas station has been to create a replica of a late 1940s filling station where people could get gas and buy items they'd get at a convenience store but also find items that relate to the 1940s," Peter said. "When they step inside, we want customers to feel as if they are stepping back into the late 1940s."
As a result, the filling station is part modern convenience and part post-World War II whimsy.
Amid the bold, shiny decor, collectible tin signs and gasoline memorabilia is the souvenir section, where longneck bottles of hard-to-find soda pops such as Nehi, Moxie, Sundrop and Whoopee Cola peep colorfully from the coolers. "People are always excited to find these old-time varieties of pop that you don't see in other stores," Peter said.
The service station also features a hardware department where patrons can purchase nuts, bolts and other items. Outdoors are the gas and kerosene pumps.
"Along with kerosene, we also sell white gas. It's a clear-burning type of fuel that's very popular among our Amish customers," Peter explained.
Caters to Amish
Catering to Mesopotamia's sizable Amish community is something the Schadens make a point to do and something that makes their inventory different from that of other stores.
"About 60 to 70 percent of our customers are Amish, and when they tell us they want something, we listen," Peter said. "We sell a lot of bulk food to the Amish, and a big section of our general store is devoted to bulk foods. We also have an icehouse, and we sell 25-pound blocks of ice to the Amish during the summer. In addition, we are currently building a freezer where Amish can rent cubicles to store their meat. & quot;
Because Amish homes don't have electricity, finding adequate freezer space can be a challenge, and often when the Amish butcher an animal, they don't have a place to store all of the meat.
"Sometimes they'll rent freezer space from a Yankee neighbor, but that's not always an option. This freezer will be a big convenience for them," Peter said.
The new freezer is located behind the general store. It has 133 bins and will open next week. The Schadens also recently added an ATM machine after many Amish customers requested one.
"People don't typically think of the Amish as using ATM machines, but they can drive their buggies right up to ours, and it's very convenient for them," Peter said.
The Amish also wanted a bigger, better deli, so the Schadens have expanded the End of the Commons' deli case from six feet to 20 feet.
Of course, plenty of other customers frequent the deli as well, searching for items not sold in regular grocery stores.
"We sell Amish roll butter, bulk bacon and all kinds of cheeses -- items you can't find other places," Peter said.
The Schadens covered the modern-looking deli case with wood to help it blend in with the old-fashioned general store atmosphere. They also covered an outdoor portable toilet with wood siding and hung a sign on the door that reads "Mesopotamia Relief Station."
"People who drive out here from the city always get a kick out of that. They just can't believe it, but we can't have indoor public restrooms because of certain plumbing codes, so we wanted to do something humorous and different," Peter said.
A life-size, talking dummy named "Mr. Chaffee" sits in a chair beside the End of the Commons front door to greet (and sometimes startle) customers.
"Some of my nieces and nephews are scared to death of Mr. Chaffee," Peter said with a laugh.
With 10 brothers and sisters, Peter has plenty of nieces and nephews.
Family venture
The End of the Commons is a family-owned and operated business, and since Ken, Peter's father, purchased the store in 1982, all 11 Schaden children have worked at the store at one time or another.
Most have since moved on to other venues, but Peter decided to stay the course and became business partners with his father about six years ago.
"When my dad bought this store, he thought it would be a great business for our big family," Peter said. "What keeps us a success despite the big competitors like Wal-Mart and Kmart is that we have items you can't find other places. Where else can you come and buy an ice cream cone, a gallon of milk and an Amish buggy?"
(End of the Commons sells Amish buggy lawn ornaments for about $400 and operable Amish buggies for about $1,500.)
For more information on the store, call (440) 693-4295 or visit www.endofthecommons.com.