amana general

JoAnnR285

The Amana General Store Is a great place to go to shop for seasonal as well as everyday gift items which are displayed in a very pleasing way. There are two floors with main floor featuring seasonal gift items and a large area of Amana food items. There is also a Christmas store and general giftware. Downstairs you are invited to sample a few of the coffees and teas available for purchase and there is a kitchen store and gifts with a cabin motif. There are many other things to see and purchase and this store is always a high point of our visit.

dorothyw364

We can always find hard to find kitchen items at this store. The unusual & easy to use items are fun to shop for. Always nice to explore new items & the staff are great to answer any questions. We always go there when we are in Iowa.

OR_travelerSalem_OR

I haven't been here in over 30 years but it's not what I expected. Many of the items in the shops are imports. The restaurants are fewer. Very few handcrafted items and some of those are not local. Lots of antique shops.

roadtripmajik

Excellent variety of home décor, kitchen, seasonal, and food products. Found some unique hard to find items not seen elsewhere. Takes a while to get through because of how much is displayed--easy to miss something on the shelf just below or above. Enjoyed the various rooms. Can never ignore a Christmas room, and this one no exception.

S_Knief

Whenever we go to the Amanas I have to say this is one of our favorite stores. They have such a wide variety of items, you cannot believe it until you experience it. This community is the most excellent place to get away from the rat race of everyday life.

Hannah520

This store is very fun to walk through in the colonies. It was in my top five places we visited within the colonies. It smells fantastic in the whole store. Both floors are beautiful. The Christmas room was so festive and amazing. I could imagine this store during the wintertime. There are so many fun gift ideas here.

STEVENS978

I was a tad dismayed that a place based on old German tradition sold made in China souvenirs. The Amana colonies have become sort of a tourist trap indeed!

59scotth

Check out the store and Amana Canned goods.We were kinda disappointed in the volume of "made in China" items sold here but we understand that the town can only produce so much.. That said there are plenty of American manufacturers of goods that could be sold in your shop.

Mali_Urke

I truly don't understand people that give this general store a lower rating than 4 or 5 stars! I have NEVER in my life seen such a vast collection of souvenirs and tourist items in a single store. As an example, they have a Christmas decoration section... organized by color / style! This is a souvenir shoopers heaven, along with several interesting restaurants (German and other traditional food you might find at Cracker Barrel) and great gift shops. Tourist trap, yes, but done very well and organized very well.

EAY1976

The store is full of beautiful things for decor, children, literature, etc. The problem is that these are items I have found in any gift shop. Lots of made in China, etc. again; things I might buy in my home town but not what I was looking for here. I was disappointed. Someone else would probably be thrilled.

solonomad42

I am sure it is a nice General Store - but the Amana Colonies have been touting late hours - I would assume in an attempt to increase tourism - and really the only reason I made the trip - in every store I entered from 5:30-6p, IF I was greeted at all was with indifference and annoyance. General Store was no different. If you invite guests in to shop late - you should act like you want to take their money.

harry-marylou

Beautiful displays of items to sell. The selections were many and varied, including the Christmas room. It was disappointing to not find a Sprengerle Cookie Board anywhere in the Colonies, even though the recipe is displayed on a wall of the museum.

veejayw

You must see this shop - first impression is 'how lovely!' there is lots of stock to see and I had to restrict myself to lightweight purchases I could take back to UK on the plane - so I bought 3 cookie cutters for myself, and 2 hot mat coasters for little Xmas gifts. Spent ages in there though ! very very pretty...

gaffroz

If you're going to the Amana colonies, stick with Amana, as the others are pretty much empty.It was a " bucket list" trip for me, but I did enjoy it, although it wasn't what I expected. Having been to Lancaster Cty PA in the past, I expected something similar, and it wasn't. The factories weren't working (Sunday), but they are operated by local folks, not Amish/German craftsmen. Food at Ronningen's was ethic, good and reasonable. Crafts were expensive as expected. Lots of parking, but some shops were closed/for sale or didn't open until later in the day.

cwillini

My wife and I enjoyed this store. It had a little of everything for you to buy. They had a good choice of items to purchase. We enjoyed the stationery selections they had and purchased some items for our daughters. I would recommend visiting the store and I am sure you will find something there to buy.