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ST. JACOBS FURNISHINGS:
W OODCR A FT I N ME NNO NI TE C O UNT R Y
WEBER
ST N
KING ST N
BY CHRIS TIESSEN
ST. JACOBS
As we meander past an amazing number of
shrugs off my comment. ‘I’ve been working
stalls featuring fresh produce, grass fed meat
here as part of the family business since I was
and handmade crafts on a busy Thursday
a teenager,’ he replies, ‘so it’s only fair that
afternoon at the St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market,
folks have gotten to know me.’
I cannot help but feel a bit like royalty. Mennonite royalty. (A contradiction in terms, to be sure, since historically Mennonites rejected any formal connections to their magisterial rulers. But I digress.) Everywhere we go, folks either wave, call out hello, or emerge from behind their stalls to strike up a conversation.
Indeed, the Shantz name certainly does carry a lot of weight in these parts. Byron’s father Ross and late uncle, Milo, were prominent visionaries in the development of what is now known as St. Jacobs Country, shaping it into what it is today: a global tourism juggernaut. His sister, Sheila, manages the huge Famers’ Market. And Byron, along with Sheila, owns
‘You’re a bit of a celebrity in these parts,’ I
and operates St. Jacobs Furnishings Co –
remark to my companion, Byron Shantz,
an impressive furniture store attached to
who seems unfazed by all the attention he’s
the market that specializes in solid wood
getting. Ever the model of modesty, Byron
