After 30 years in business, Down A Country Road will be closing its doors before the year is out, for good. The owners, Kathy and Chuck Kuderer, are retiring and look forward to spending more time with their grandkids.
“The whole thing is very bittersweet” expresses Kathy. “It’s a very emotional decision, but ultimately, I think it’s the right one.” Since Kathy’s announcement that they would be retiring in May, past customers from all over have been coming in to say their goodbyes and look around for the last time, which has been an emotional but heartfelt experience for Kathy. To slow things down and prepare for liquidation, Kathy stopped doing individual family car tours. She also put many inventory items and display pieces up for sale and they will eventually sell the buildings.
Some of the biggest highlights of her time at the shops include the 3 books she’s written: “Down A Country Road with the Amish”, “Walking Away from Amish to English”, and a cookbook that has since gone out of print. Another major highlight was the contract she shared with the Delta Queen from 2000 to 2008. During this time, Kathy would meet a bus line in LaCrosse and pick up a group of tourists from the Delta Queen for an Amish country tour, then drive them back to the boat. She did this every week, every time the Delta Queen stopped in LaCrosse, during its trips from St. Louis to Minneapolis and back. Finally, Kathy also considers it a major highlight to have had people from so far and wide. People have visited her shops from every state of the country and far beyond. It was not unusual for overseas tourists to join an Amish tour or make a purchase in the main shop.
Kathy was just 6 years old when the Amish first came to Cashton in 1966. During her time, she has gained a wealth of experience and witnessed changes and growth in the Amish community. It goes without saying that her tours and shops have greatly contributed to the surrounding community and brought many people to the area. At the business’ peak, the shops featured items from 45-50 Amish families and 20-25 local crafters. A consistent challenge that she learned to work with, however; was the extreme diversity of customers that have only grown in variety over the years. In the beginning, her shop appealed to a niche demographic, but interest expanded to all ages and backgrounds. She has also learned a great deal about marketing, advertising, and media coverage. She has been interviewed and had Down A Country Road featured in all kinds of websites, articles, and papers from all around the country.
As they grew up, Kathy and Chuck’s four kids all worked at the shops at different points and helped anywhere they were needed, but they’re happy with their career paths and no one at this time is showing interest in purchasing the business. Rather than wait around potentially forever for the perfect buyer though, Kathy feels it is right to bring this chapter in their life to a close and for a new one to start. The shops will be open 9-5 Monday through Saturday until the end of July, then only Saturdays from the 1st of August to the 18th. After that, hours will vary until the Fall Harvest celebration on Oct 7th, which will feature 35-40 vendors, live music, and food trucks. You can stay up to date and find out more on Kathy Kuderer’s facebook page @downacountryroad on Facebook.
