Bem General's Heart

Our general store is located in a small farming community called Bem. It’s a place where people are from. A place people come back to, if only for the ice cream at the Bem Church picnic. Bem Church recently celebrated it’s 145th anniversary with a Heritage Day. Members arrived in period clothing, letters and spoken word were heard from past clergy, and many stories told of family and friends through the years. Members whose families had founded the church were recognized. What a fun and fascinating day! I’m continually amazed by the rich history of our community. 

People often come into the store and ask me if I’m from here and my answer is always yes, and no. My family is from here now, but hasn’t been here for generations; I think at least 3 generations is the requirement to be considered from here. ;) I do have many memories of the store as a child as do all the members of our community who frequented what was then Kreter Store. When giving a tour of our Farm Spa, one of my favorite memories to recall is that I and my two cousins took piano lessons in what is now one of our massage rooms. I tell about how the Farm Spa used to be the living quarters and our massage room was the living room, and the piano sat on that wall right there. I still picture it there sometimes when I step into that room, with the metronome ticking away. 

Working in a place with such rich history, that houses so many memories, the good country childhood kind of memories, is something I am very grateful for. Bem is the kind of place that makes your heart sing, it’s the kind of place you feel. It’s the kind of place you love that stays with you forever, whether you’re just passing through, from here, or FROM here. 

All these things and more are why I feel so passionate about bringing the healing arts work and local food work that I and my fellow practitioners and farmers do, to life here. At the heart of Bem is community, the strength of it’s community is service. What we do here at Bem General is serve in a healing way, in a nourishing way, and in a creative way. We have fun, we laugh, and we gather. 

I invite you to make time to experience Bem and bring a friend. We’d love to have you!

I’d also love to hear some of your stories (even if we’ve heard them before, tell us again, here) they never grow old. Comment below with a favorite memory, recent or not.