About Us

History of Dutchman’s Store

Dutchman’s Store began in Cantril in November of 1985, when Clair and Virginia Zimmerman moved their young family to town in search of a new opportunity. Before arriving in Cantril, the Zimmermans operated a small store called Jordan Country Market near Mount Sterling, Iowa. When they purchased an old storefront on Main Street in Cantril, they brought the business with them—and gave it a new name: Dutchman’s Store, a nod to their Pennsylvania Dutch heritage and the German dialect spoken by their family from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

From the beginning, their mission was simple: serve the rural community with essential goods at honest, affordable prices.

Roots in the Farm Crisis

The story actually starts a few years earlier, during the Farm Crisis of the mid 1980’s when Clair was forced to sell his cows, and the family’s land returned to the bank. At his father’s encouragement, he opened Jordan Country Market, where he and Virginia began selling groceries, fabric, and shoes to farm families and neighbors who needed a dependable place to shop close to home. That small beginning laid the foundation for everything that followed.

A Growing Family Business

Clair and Virginia led the business until 2010, when their sons Wilmer and Kevin joined in ownership. A few years later, their younger son Kenneth also stepped in. As customer demand grew, Dutchman’s Store expanded three times within downtown Cantril.

In September 2024, the store entered a new chapter with the opening of a new 50,000‑square‑foot retail facility located just outside Cantril along Highway 2. Today, Dutchman’s offers a wide range of products for rural living, organized into departments such as Bulk Foods, Bakery, Deli, sewing supplies, clothing, gifts, groceries, sporting goods, and ready‑to‑eat foods. The newest addition, Dutchman’s Café, serves sandwiches, pizza, and a daily lunch buffet.

Historic brick storefront and adjacent red metal garage with Pepsi and Coke signs under a bright blue sky

Aerial view of Dutchman's Store, parked cars, and surrounding streets

Historic brick-and-wood storefront with a covered porch and several parked cars

Dutchman's Store, an old-time general store in Cantril, Iowa

A Regional Destination

Over the decades, Dutchman’s Store has grown into an iconic retail destination—surrounded by cornfields and deeply woven into the identity of Cantril. Locals across southeast Iowa simply say they’re “going to Cantril,” and everyone knows they mean Dutchman’s.

Inside the new building, original signage from the former location has been carefully preserved. Customers often pause when they see it, recognizing the tribute to the store’s long history and the generations of families it has served.

As part of the Villages of Van Buren County, Dutchman’s plays a vital role in supporting the region’s tourism‑driven economy. On busy weekends, Clair still enjoys walking the parking lot, noting license plates from across the United States. The reach of the store, he says, has grown far beyond anything he ever imagined.

What began as a small country market has steadily expanded into a one‑of‑a‑kind store offering everything from soup to hay. Through every chapter, Dutchman’s Store has remained committed to service, stewardship, and the rural families who have supported it from the start.

3,391+ Satisfied Customer Reviews!

This is an awesome store! It’s is like Walmart and Amish store mashup. The new building has a nice cafe and expanded sports section. They have tons of foods, shoes, boots, clothes, fabric, and more! They have parking for your horse and buggy too! So cool!

Love this store! They have endless options for all budgets. Super friendly atmosphere. I drive 2.5 hrs to get there and it's worth every mile. Prices are incredible. We save so much money shopping with them.

I thought I had about 250 dollars of groceries, but it was only 134. Excellent product and grocery quality. We'll definitely come back again and again. We had a cheap lunch of Deli meat and a loaf of bread and chips. The monster cookies by Yoder's Baking Company are the best i've ever had.

This store is hands down the biggest flex to owning a home in Milton! This store is the closest store, making it incredibly convenient for everything my family needs. I refer to this store as the 'Mennonite Costco'. You can find a plethora of options in clothing, cookware, everyday essentials,... food, gardening, and so much more. There is even a food court that will not disappoint. The prices here are great and matched by none, saving so much money during an otherwise expensive moving process. On top of the fantastic deals, the staff are stellar. They are welcoming, helpful, and impressively efficient. They also accept every form of payment, not just cash. Alas, despite the store generating a plethora of traffic, the parking lot is massive so finding a parking spot is never an issue. I cannot recommend this store enough! 👍🏻 2 thumbs up 👍🏻read more

Great place to reduce your food budget. Example--fully cooked and cut pork ribs at 50 cents per pound, if you buy 3 bags in a box and each bag weighs 4 pounds. Here in Jefferson you pay $14 for a rack of ribs that weighs 2-2.5 pounds at Hyvee. Canned goods cost 2/3's of normal price, plus they are... larger cans. Great people!!!!read more

I’m from Indiana and every chance I get to come out to the store I do they have awesome sales. Their chicken nuggets are to die for their cinnamon rolls are awesome and I always managed to find a good deal on one thing or another that I use, and I need to stock up on it.

What an adventure! If they don't have it, it probably doesn't exist! We stocked up on meat, fresh produce, bulk pectin (the equivalent of 21 boxes of Sure-Jell for the price of three), and Sterzings potato chips (we bought a case)!

I am literally a second generation shopper. I moved to Indiana years ago, and when I came back for visits to family I never forgot to stop and shop. More than once I came with a generator and deep freezer. Now im back and I shop here weekly.