MONTAGUE, P.E.I.—There’s a sudden population boom in eastern Prince Edward Island, and the local hardware store has been buzzing.
Home Hardware owner Mark Beck says they’ve been busy supplying new customers with lumber, hardware, and paint. They’ve even started stocking a specific model of straw hat. His new clients, he says, are very particular about their straw hats.
About 14 pioneer Amish families from southwestern Ontario have bought farms here this year, lured by low land prices, and settled in the communities of Dundas and Summerville. Many more families are expected.
“Being rural P.E.I., any time there’s new business, it’s a boom,” Beck said from his perch on Main Street.
A horse-drawn wagon soon passes by, heading into downtown. Onboard are two young Amish men, each dressed in light blue shirts, dark blue pants with suspenders, and straw hats. One sports a bushy beard.
“We see the buggies in the town every week and it’s kind of exciting,” says Beck. “It’s new, it’s change, and it’s nice to see the old farms getting worked.”
