Village News

Take a minute to discover Steinbach’s best kept secret: Village Books and Gifts at Mennonite Heritage Village (MHV). We are open in the Village Centre year round, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on weekdays, extending to include weekends during May through September. So you have no reason to wait to find great books, unique puzzles, Menno Apparel, old-fashioned wooden toys, games and much more. Our gift-shop staff are very knowledgeable and work extremely hard to ensure your visit is a satisfying experience.

Village Books and Gifts strives to be intentional about which items grace our shelves and continues to improve the selection and quality of the gifts and souvenirs we sell. We want to appeal to the wide variety of people who want to bring home something that’s a little bit “Steinbach” or a little bit “Mennonite.” We are working to provide good-quality, unique, and hard-to-find items.

In addition to travel-friendly souvenirs for our guests, we are moving into a wider variety of heritage-driven gifts, toys and games. One of the biggest assets to the store is the line of Menno Apparel. Village Books & Gifts is the exclusive retailer for these t-shirts in the Steinbach-Winnipeg area.

Need a unique book for someone special? We are proud to carry titles that embrace our history, tell our story, and sometimes bring a little controversy. Authors include novelists, genealogists, historians, biographers, and local photography enthusiasts. We also carry a selection of local titles which feature the story of family or community members and are written by the family members.

Our quality books continue to draw many historians, bookworms and general shoppers. The mandate of our bookshelves is to provide readers with historically sound information, personal stories, and works of fiction that reflect the journey of the Mennonites through the ages. We also seek to carry a selection of cookbooks, children’s books, and coffee-table books of fabulous local photography.

Store staff are currently busy stocking our shelves with the latest delivery of books and memorable souvenirs. Just arrived: Royden Loewen’s book Horse and Buggy Genius: Listening to Mennonites Contest the Modern World. The history of the twentieth century is one of modernization, a story of old ways being left behind. Royden Loewen and a team of researchers interviewed over 250 Mennonites in thirty-five communities across America about the impact of the modern world on their lives. Responses were recorded from two distinctive groups. “Life is best when it is kept simple.” Stop by our bookstore to get your copy today.

Also hot off the press is the newly released GRANDMA 16 genealogy database. If you are looking for a long-lost relative, GRANDMA 16 has been updated with several hundred more names that would definitely help in your search. We have something for everyone!