In Discovery Channel's popular television show "Amish Mafia," the lead character, Lebanon Levi, is portrayed as a sort-of Amish Vito Corleone.
"Lebanon Levi is the cops," another character, Esther, says in one of the episodes. "He is the courthouse, he is the bank and he is the insurance company."
Karin Meacham is making the most of her Lancaster city store's 15 minutes of fame — delivered in an unmarked envelope by "Amish Mafia."
Visitors to Art & Glassworks, 319 N. Queen St., are greeted at the front door by a sign bearing a photo of Levi and the faux warning — "This store is protected by Lebanon Levi."
"We're just having fun with it," said Meacham, who owns the store along with her husband, Gary Ziffer.
Meacham said Ziffer made the sign after a recent episode of "Amish Mafia" in which one of Levi's henchmen, Alvin, is seen exiting Art & Glassworks carrying a plain white envelope.
As that clip is playing, Levi talks about how he makes money by collecting rent from various properties he owns in "the community."
In exchange for that rent, Levi says he provides protection to the store owners — although he never indicates what they might need protection from.
The main Art & Glassworks sign over the store's front door is not visible in the show clip, but there's no mistaking the storefront, with its colorful trim and windows filled with glass artwork.
"The scene before, they were talking about how they protect Lancaster businesses, and then the next scene is they're coming out of our store with an envelope," Meacham said.
"I went, 'Oh my gosh, that is the funniest thing I've ever seen. Our store protected by Amish?'"
Spoiler alert here — Meacham said she does not actually pay protection money to Lebanon Levi.
Nor does Levi own the building.
County property records show Ziffer and Meacham have owned their store building since 1989.
Meacham and store worker Jackie Kissel remember the scene being shot last summer, but they played no part in it and didn't know at the time what the footage was for.
I live in York County PA and work in northern rural Lancaster County PA and have been to Lancaster City many times, my mom was from the general area and I lived in Amish country (Elizabethtown/Hershey) as a young child before moving to Maryland. Going to downtown Lancaster City, especially the area of N. Queen Street is more like going to downtown Baltimore or Detroit, especially now days and you are not going to find many if any real Amish in Lancaster City central and speaking Pennsylvania Dutch won’t help you, however speaking Spanish or Ebonics would be more helpful.
And if you go to the touristy areas of Lancaster along Route 30 near the big outlet malls and Amish themed attractions, you will probably see lots of “Amish” buggies and lots of “Amish” stores but they are mostly owned and driven by the “English” who are milking money from the gullible tourists. (Hint: the real Amish don’t give buggy rides to tourists although they will gladly take your money and sell you their goods at their small stores and stalls at farmers markets outside of the city).
If you want to see the “real” Amish you have to go east, north or south of downtown Lancaster City or the commercial part of route 30; the rural areas surrounding little towns like Strasburg, Manheim, Lititz, Paradise, Bird In Hand, Blue Ball and the places in between. There is a grocery store near where I work in Manheim that has specially designated parking spaces for buggies. And yes, the Amish go to modern grocery stores. I’ve also seen Amish buggies parked in front of the Home Depot and the Best Buy. I’ve also seen Amish at Penn State Hershey Medical Center, and yes they go to the hospital and to the doctors when they need to, and there is actually a “cottage” industry of drivers, some Mennonite and some “English” who provide car transport when the Amish have to travel farther than practical by horse and buggy. The Amish may not own or drive cars but they will use them for transport if it is necessary and if someone else is driving. Many will also use gas powered engines, electricity and telephones in their barns and workshops for conducting business even as their homes have no electricity and the Amish who work off the farm will use mechanized equipment and ride in work trucks.
There is no such thing as the Amish “Mafia. There are a few Amish kids who occasionally go “bad”, go wild; drink, experiment with drugs, alcohol, sex and rock and roll, usually during their Rumspringa: a few never go back to the Amish ways but surprisingly most do. Surprisingly the Amish population is growing and moving into areas like southern NJ and NE Maryland; there is a rather large and growing Amish community in Cape May County NJ.
The shows Breaking Amish and Amish Mafia are completely fake. There were even ads running not long ago in several Lancaster are newspapers advertising for “extras” to appear on those shows.