I promised in last week’s Ask Joan that I’d gotten some answers about Dietz’s Lawn and Garden Center, which my husband first asked about on his blog before getting desperate wising up and Asking Joan.
Turns out that was exactly what to do, because I in turn asked you guys, and you in turn helped us out.
What did we find?
Kathy Stover was one of the first to respond. She writes, “Dietz’s Lawn & Garden Center was on Pleasant Acres Road just past Concord Rd.”
And Eileen Druck was able to give even more detail; she says, “Dietz Lawn & Garden was located in the building that now houses a machine shop at the end of Arbor Lane. You can see the building to the north of Rt 30 when you cross the bridge that goes over Pleasant Acres Rd. Actually, Arbor Ln was Pleasant Acres Rd. before it was cut off by Route 30. ‘Pappy’ was the owner, Raymond Dietz.” (I’m sure they’re not related, but I think it’s a fun coincidence that we recently talked about another Pappy!)
Then Scott Buchart wrote with more details. He says, “In the late 40′s and early 50′s Dietz was located in a brick building immediately east of Melvin’s on East Market St. They advertised on local TV, either WSBA or WNOW as ‘Pappy’ Dietz. … I was there often with our power mower (a primitive machine that needed constant repair). … When Rt. 83 was built in the mid to late 50′s, it claimed Dietz, Melvin’s, Weis, York Bank, and a Texaco station as well as the miniature golf course, shuffleboard courts, and batting cage approx. behind the car wash. I don’t know … when they started selling lawn and garden equipment as well as repairing same.”
And, as almost always seems to be the case, I got one answer that was really impressive.
“Let me introduce myself; I’m Raymond A. Dietz, III and I was born in 1948, the year that my grandfather, Raymond A. ‘Pappy’ Dietz began Dietz Farm Service the forerunner of Dietz’s Lawn and Garden Store.
” ‘Pappy,’ as everyone called him when he ran his business, had been employed for a number of years as a manager at S. Morgan Smith Co. in York but seeing an opportunity in the sale of power equipment designed for the homeowner, he decided in the late 1940′s that he wanted to be his own boss and to start his own business.
“He and my grandmother, Pauline, owned some property near Stony Brook where our family had owned land and farmed for many years. ‘Dietz’s’ operated at this location on Pleasant Acres Road about one mile north of the old Route 30, as ‘Hubby’s’ piece of paper states. At the time this was a mostly rural area but folks didn’t seem to mind going a little out of their way to get expert service for their new-fangled lawn and garden equipment.
“As the business grew in the early to mid 1950′s and became ‘Dietz’s Lawn and Garden Store’ it sold and serviced many brands of lawn mowers and garden tractors as well as offering a complete line of garden tools and supplies.
“Early on, my father, Raymond A. Dietz, Jr. joined my grandfather in the business. I still have fond memories riding along with my dad as he made service calls to people’s homes to repair their mower or tiller. Imagine Lowes or Home Depot doing that!
“The business continued to grow until ‘Dietz’s’ became the largest lawn and garden equipment dealer in Central Pennsylvania.
“In the late 1960′s after ‘Dietz’s’ had discontinued retail sales and had become a wholesale distributor, the new Route 30 project claimed some of the business’ land and buildings prompting ‘Pappy’ close the operation and retire.
“Today, the remaining buildings, now housing PT Industries, can be seen just north of Route 30 near the Pleasant Acres Road overpass.”
WOW! Thank you so much for all that info, both on behalf of myself and Chris, as well as all the Ask Joan readers who might have wondered.
11:30 a.m. update: OK, this is really “Only in York County.” I just heard from friend and coworker Ellen Feldman that “Pappy” Dietz is her great-grandfather and Ray Dietz, whose letter appears above, is her uncle. She writes, “I can remember when ‘Pappy’s’ Son (my grandfather) would let us help get orders ready for the business when we were kids – it was so much fun!”
How awesome is that?
My name is Joan and I'm a lifelong Yorker. Throughout high school and college, I swore I was getting out of here as soon as possible. Now, a few years later, I can't think of anywhere I'd rather be. I love my town. And, as a local editor, I hear every day how much you love your towns, too. So please, connect with me and let's share what makes life in York County great. I'm here to help you enjoy this place as much as I do!
Thanks, Joan for giving us the opportunity to share our memories of “Dietz’s”.
Im’ afraid that Mr. Buchart has mis-remembered the location of “Dietz’s” as the business was alwas located on Pleasant Acres Road…never on Market Street but he is correct about “Dietz’s”
advertising on local TV.
Thank’s again to all who responded to your request for information about “Dietz’s”.
Ray Dietz III
Would you happen to be the Ray Dietz that worked in the parts dept. at York Volvo in the 1970′s ?
Terry: Yes I worked the Parts Dept. at what was then Triangle Motors until about mid 1973. Did you work there as a mechanic?
OK, I just have to interject and say this is TOTALLY an “Only in York County” moment. You guys made my day.
What an incredible and very interesting blog posting today. Thanks to you all.
Remember Dietz’s Lawn and Garden very well. My dad bought his mowers there and had repairs done there also. Actually, my first job was at Dietz’s while I was in high school (early 60′s). I worked in the parts department and help with some of the accounting functions. Still have some great memories of those days and still have contact with some of the guys that worked there during that period of time. Great article and brings back some great memories. Thanks.