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Somewhere outside Clare, there is a pantry so big you can buy flour in a 50-pound bag and nobody blinks. Spices cost a fraction of supermarket prices, and the shelves hold staples most chain stores quietly stopped carrying years ago.
Home bakers, canners, and folks hungry for a good lunch keep driving from all over Michigan to get here. Read on to find out where it is, what fills its shelves, and why this little country store sits near the top of so many must-visit lists in mid-Michigan.
A Country Store on Colonville Road
Out on a quiet stretch of road east of town sits a store that does not look like much from the parking lot. That modest first impression is part of the charm.
Yoder’s Kuntry Market Bulk Foods stands at 7534 E Colonville Rd, Clare, MI 48617, in the heart of mid-Michigan. Clare is the town many Michiganders know as the gateway between the southern cities and the north woods, and this market gives travelers a very good reason to leave the highway.
Officially, it is listed as a grocery store. In practice, it is three businesses in one building: a bulk foods shop, a fresh deli counter, and a market for produce, baked goods, and homemade pantry items.
The store is described as a little Amish store and sandwich shop, run in the Plain-community tradition that shapes much of rural Michigan. There is no flashy signage campaign and no loyalty app.
What it offers instead is old-fashioned stocking, fair prices, and friendly faces behind the counter.
The store also keeps a 4.9-star standing across nearly 180 opinions online, which is about as close to unanimous as a country store gets.
So what exactly is on those shelves that makes people drive past three supermarkets to get here? The answer starts in the bulk aisle.
Flour by the Fifty-Pound Bag
Most grocery stores treat a 25-pound sack of flour like a special order. Here, 50-pound bags are simply part of the inventory.
All-purpose flour and bread flour both come in those big bags, and so do sugar and popcorn. Serious bakers who go through flour at a steady clip treat this store as their main supply stop.
Not everyone needs enough flour to bake for a small army, of course. Smaller packages sit right alongside the giant ones, so a casual weekend baker can shop without hauling home a sack heavier than a toddler.
The grain selection runs deeper than flour. Wheat berries and other whole grains are stocked for people who mill at home, along with cornmeal, grits, and pasta.
Here is a handy tip that few supermarkets would ever offer. If a particular grain or bulk item is not on the shelf, customers can call ahead, and the staff will try to get it for them.
That kind of personal ordering feels like a throwback to the general stores of Michigan’s farming past. It also explains why home bakers across the region refer to this place as their pantry headquarters.
Flour is only the beginning, though, because the next aisle over is where the real bargains hide.
The Spice Aisle That Beats the Chains
Spice prices at big grocery chains can make a home cook wince. At Yoder’s, the same shelf space comes with much friendlier numbers.
Spices here are sold at a much cheaper price than regular grocery stores charge, and the selection is wide. Shoppers stock up in one trip and skip the tiny jars for months.
The baking supply section earns equal praise. Pectin, brown sugar, and the many small ingredients that recipes call for are all in stock, which is why the store gets called a canner’s dream.
Canning season in Michigan is a serious affair, and having everything under one roof saves a lot of running around. A family preserving the summer garden can pick up pectin, sugar, and spices in a single cart.
Loose leaf teas round out the aisle, in both regular and herbal varieties. Nuts, dried fruits, and organic items fill out the rest of the dry goods shelves.
Many of the items are packed into containers that are easy to grab and priced low enough to encourage a few extra choices. It is the sort of place where a shopping list tends to grow once the cart starts rolling.
Of course, not everything here is meant for storage. Some of the best items are made fresh every single day.
Behind the Deli Counter
Ask locals what brings them back most often, and many will skip the flour talk entirely. They head straight for the deli.
Made-to-order subs are the store’s most talked-about item by a wide margin. Fresh-cut meats, cheeses, and vegetables are stacked by hand, and the subs are made on the spot by hardworking Amish women.
Two sizes are offered, a 6-inch and a footlong. A word of advice: the 6-inch arrives loaded with enough filling for a footlong, so the 12-inch is best ordered on an empty stomach.
Prices stay grounded. A footlong runs about $12, and an Italian sub has been listed at $10.99, which is filling enough that two people have struggled to finish one.
A maple mustard is a popular topping choice. A soup of the day changes daily during the colder months, roughly from fall through spring.
A paper menu lists every deli meat and cheese with prices, plus sub and soup prices, so there is no guessing at the register. The deli also sells meats and cheeses by weight, with a weekly meat and cheese special that is priced very fairly.
Plenty of Michiganders say they stopped bothering with chain sandwich shops after one visit. That is quite a reputation for a counter in a country store.
Jams, Soaps, and Other Homemade Finds
Some of the most interesting shelves in the store hold items that never pass through a factory line.
Homemade jams, jellies, and fruit butters line up in a wide variety. Homemade candies sit nearby, along with a bulk candy section that keeps the younger crowd busy while the adults shop.
Homemade soap is another find that surprises first-timers. Breads are on hand too, including a jalapeno cheddar loaf.
The bakery case draws a lot of attention, with whoopie pies, fry pies, and cinnamon rolls among the favorites. One honest note belongs here: some baked goods are shipped in from another location rather than made on site.
That detail matters to people chasing strictly homemade pastries from roadside stands. For most shoppers, though, the selection is large and still a welcome treat at the end of a pantry run.
Hand-dipped ice cream is also served, which turns a grocery trip into a small reward for kids who behaved in the bulk aisle. Few supermarkets can claim that combination of soap, preserves, and scoops in one building.
And if the season is right, the front of the store holds a whole different set of surprises.
Seasonal Produce and Fall Color
Prices on fresh vegetables here can make a shopper double-check the tag. Large cucumbers have sold for 44 cents and big onions for 70 cents.
Fresh produce is a seasonal affair, so the selection shifts with Michigan’s growing calendar. Summer and early fall tend to be the strongest stretch for vegetables.
Autumn brings its own show. Pumpkins and mums appear out front, and they are often called exceptional, making the store a handy stop for porch decorating.
Timing a visit around harvest season pays off for canners in particular. Pick up cucumbers and onions on one side of the store, then grab pectin and spices on the other, and the whole pickling project is covered.
Winter and early spring are quieter for produce, but that is when the daily soup takes over as the warm draw at the deli counter. Each season gives a slightly different reason to make the drive.
For families in Clare County and beyond, this rhythm feels familiar. It mirrors the way Michigan farm households have stocked pantries for generations, buying what is fresh and putting away the rest.
Fresh vegetables are only part of the picture, though. The people working the store make just as strong an impression.
Who Makes the Drive
Friendly service comes up again and again as a hallmark of this store. Lots of smiling faces and helpful staff are part of the experience.
The building itself is kept very clean, and the layout makes browsing easy. It feels less like a warehouse and more like a well-run country market.
The crowd is a real mix. Home bakers come for flour and grains, canners stock up on pectin and spices, and lunch seekers line up at the deli.
Weekenders staying up in Harrison have found the place simply by searching for Amish stores nearby. Folks from Northern Michigan say the trip south is worth every mile.
Here is one small insider tip for deli fans. Some counter workers are known for especially generous slices, so getting to know the staff can pay off.
Families with kids will find plenty to like, thanks to bulk candy and hand-dipped ice cream. Budget-minded shoppers will appreciate the snack containers and spices priced well below chain stores.
That said, a little planning goes a long way before heading out to Colonville Road.
Hours, Timing, and a Fair Verdict
Sunday shoppers, take note. The store is closed on Sundays, so plan the pantry run for another day.
Monday through Friday, doors open at 8 am and close at 5 pm. Saturday runs a little shorter, from 8 am to 4 pm.
Arriving earlier in the day leaves time to browse the bulk aisles before grabbing lunch at the deli. Bringing a cooler is smart for anyone buying deli meats, cheeses, or the weekly special on a longer drive home.
Big bulk buyers can call ahead to ask about special orders, especially for grains that are not regularly stocked. The store’s listing on the Just Plain Business website offers more details for planning.
So is it worth the trip? For anyone who bakes, cans, or simply loves a hearty sub at an honest price, the answer leans strongly toward yes.
The pastries may not all be homemade, and fresh produce depends on the season. Still, the spice prices, the 50-pound flour bags, and that loaded deli counter are hard to match anywhere in the state.
Michigan does not need to import its country charm. It is already sitting on a back road outside Clare, waiting with a full pantry and the coffee-break sub of the week.
