(below) The Koehler’s Bakery /John Soldan Building around the time that the Dashwood Branch Library was relocated from the east (left of image) side of the building to the Laub Building/ Dashwood Locker, owned by the Boyle family.

(below) The structure has been dramatically altered since the relocation of the library and the closure of the variety store and bakery.

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“Bert Pilkie started a bake shop in the old Nadiger building and sold it to Levi Hamather. John Soldan built the old building which is now a home owned by Mrs. Elda Koehler. There was a jewelry store in front where he fixed watches and clocks. Dave Gottschalk ran a confectionery in the east side. Joe Wambold had a confectionery in the west side. He also sold ice cream and oysters. He sold to Fred Dearing who married Linda Stire. They had a confectionery and bake shop.

Louis Schumacher built the first oven. Thomas Klumpp, who was married to [Amelia] Elhers, had a confectionery and bake shop. He had an ice-cream parlour on the east side. The barber shop was built by him on the west side. Fred White bought the building from Klumpp but it was later taken back by Klumpp. M.W. Schenk baked and made candy. He sold land behind the barber shop to Wes Wolfe for a poolroom.

Leonard Bender bought the building and ran a confectionery and bakery. He sold to Ernest Koehler, husband of Elda Koehler who made mouth watering bake goods until ill health forced his retirement.”

extracted from “Friedsburg-Dashwood 1860-1985” by Mary (Patterson) Rader, 1985; pg. 11 ISBN 0-9692115-0-3

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“He would repair his machines in the off season, but that didn’t pay all the bills. Therefore, Thomas [Klumpp] bought the barbershop of Joseph Wambold at Dashwood and cut hair in the off season and at night during the threshing season. Later he sold the shop to Wesley Wolfe. Thomas also bought Fred Dearing’s bakeshop and confectionery store in Dashwood and worked there with his wife, the former Amelia Ehlers of Stephen Township, whom he had married in 1909. The Klumpp’s operated the bakeshop-confectionery for four years before selling out to Fred White.

‘I can remember him telling me his days were from four o’clock in the morning to twelve o’clock at night’, Maurice Klumpp said. ‘That was his normal working day. On occasions when his bakers were sick or too busy, he’d come in and help them set up the yeast in the morning, make his daily rounds to his threshing units, then come back and work in the store. When Thomas owned his bakery, bread cost 6 cents a loaf. Haircuts were around 15 cents at the time and shaves set you back a nickel.’

extracted from “A Look At Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: Our First Millennium”, published by Dashwood Industries Limited; 1978