Last updated: 3/27/22, adding two new Bent and Dents (Scotty’s in Mansfield nad K&R in Sugarcreek).
Introduction
Bent and Dents are discount grocery stores. The name derives from items that have dented packaging. Other items are soon to expire or have recently expired.
But some items are in excellent condition and nowhere near expiration. Sometimes a brand launches a new product (e.g. Smucker’s Fruit & Honey Triple Berry jelly) and produces too much product. Or a product line might get discontinued. These are often found in bulk at bent and dents.
Not all bent and dents are alike. Most contain dry goods products, like cereal, potato chips, canned vegetables, granola bars, or candy. Many also contain vitamins and health supplies. Some have housewares, home furnishings, and even furniture. A few have fresh produce and groceries and serve as a local grocery.
Many bent and dents are Amish-run. These don’t accept credit cards, so be sure to bring cash for your trip.
There’s more to this than good prices on groceries, though. It’s also a fascinating cultural experience. If you visit Ohio’s Amish country, there are plenty of tourist attractions. Sometimes these are accurate, but sometimes there are employees dressed up as Amish. This is a chance to experience an authentic part of Amish country for those who don’t need a buggy repaired or a horse shoe fixed.
Ashland Circuit (Southeastern Ashland/Northern Richland Counties)
Pantry Bargains (on Google Maps as Keims Bulk Food)
Address: 1411 Township Road 1106, Ashland, OH 44805 (Google Maps link)
Hours: Mon-Fri 7-5, Sat 7-12
Directions: The store is set back from the street. Once you reach this address, turn south into the driveway. (That’s left if you’re coming from Ashland and starting the circuit here. It’s a right turn if you’re coming from Mansfield/Route 13 and finishing the circuit here). As you pull into the driveway, you’ll see a blacksmith shop on your right, then the house on your left. The bent and dent grocery is behind the house, on the right. Parking is straight ahead.
Selection: As you enter, you’ll find a bulk foods aisle nearest the door. Then there are several aisles of bent and dent grocery items. There’s a broad selection of candy, junk food, dry goods, and baking and pantry staples at good discount prices.
The aisle farthest from the door is canning supplies, vitamins, and medical supplies. There’s also a chest of cheese and trail bologna.
Lighting: This is Amish-run, so no electric lights. Kerosene lights help some but some aisles are a little dark.
Payment: Credit cards aren’t accepted. They always accept cash. When asked if they accept checks, the laconic answer is, “sometimes,” without further elaboration.
Wholesale Bargains (Shiloh)
Address: I’m not completely sure of the address; it’s not on Google Maps and has no business cards. On Google Maps, 6491 Town Line Road, Shiloh, OH will get you there. () An exterior photo looks more like 6401, but on Google Maps that takes you to the wrong spot.
Hours: Monday-Wednesday, Friday-Saturday 8-6.
Directions: There are two bent and dent groceries on Town Line Road. They’re just across 84/Township Road 908 from each other. This one is just north of 84/908. Starting there, turn north (right if you’re coming from Ashland/Pantry Bargains, left if from Mansfield/Greenwich Bent & Dent).
Once you turn onto Town Line Road, this is the first farm on the left. There is only a small white sign, so look closely.
There’s a gravel loop with no clearly marked parking. So there doesn’t seem to be a right or wrong place to park. You might be greeted by some excited puppies in the parking lot.
The bent and dent is in a small white building near the road. The entrance is a door on the north side of the house. Just inside the door is a bell to ring if they’re not in the store and you want to buy something.
Selection: Most of the selection here is food. There’s a candy aisle, a cereal corner, and dry goods groceries in the center aisles. The prices are good. It’s fairly small, perhaps the size of a living room. But since it’s just a fraction of a mile from another bent and dent it’s easy to stop by to check for a deal when visiting the other one.
Lighting: This is Amish-run, so no electric lighting. There is some natural light but it’s one of the darker bent and dents; you’ll probably need a flashlight or cell phone to read packing on darker days.
Payment: Cash is accepted; credit cards aren’t. Not sure on checks, since I’ve yet to find enough here to prompt the question.
Grapevine Scratch and Dent (Formerly Troyers’ Scratch and Dent) (Ashland)
Address: 6264 Town Line Rd, Ashland, OH 44805 (Google Maps link).
Hours: Monday-Saturday, 8-5
Directions: This is 1/3 of a mile south of 84/Township Road 908. It’s fairly easy to spot from the road. Since it’s also a feed store, it stays busier than some of the other bent and dents.
Selection: It’s one of the two large bent and dents on this circuit (with Pantry Bargains). It stocks mostly grocery items, like candy, potato chips, cereals, granola bars, canned vegetables, and lots of random treasures.
Lighting: There’s enough natural and kerosene lighting to make it the best-lit bent and dent on this circuit.
Payment: This is Amish-run and only accepts cash and check.
Greenwich Bent & Dent
Address: Wharton Road/Route 246, Greenwich, OH 44837 (Google Maps link).
Directions: Wharton Road intersects with State Route 13. (Coming from Mansfield, it’s the first right north of Shenandoah.)
It’s in a farm’s front yard. But a small grove of trees stands between the yard and the road. There is a small white sign affixed to the mailbox, but it’s easy to miss unless you pay close attention. Use GPS or print out a map in advance to count tenths of a mile.
Once you pull into the parking lot, the house will be to your right. The store is in a small building across the front yard from their house.
Selection: Grocery dry goods, cereals, candies. Some items are unexpired, while others are more than two years past expiration. So read expiration dates.
Lighting: At least within a few hours of mid-day, there’s enough natural light for reading labels at most points in the store.
Payment: This is Amish-run and only accepts cash and check.
Mansfield Circuit (Central Richland County)
Scotty’s Scratch N Dent
Address: 321 Park Avenue East, Mansfield, OH 44905 (Google Maps link).
Link: Scotty’s Scratch N Dent is on Facebook.
Pumpkin Seed Bulk Foods
Address: 1625 Executive Dr, Mansfield, OH 44907 (Google Maps link).
Directions: Clearly marked and easy to find on a major road.
Selection: Most of the store is produce, bulk foods, natural foods, and a deli. There is a small bent and dent section with one and a half aisles. Pricing is less than Kroger or Target but more than the bent and dents on the Bellville/Fredericktown circuit.
Lighting: Ample electric lighting.
Payment: Cash, check and credit cards accepted.
Wayne’s Country Market
Address: 2440 Lexington Ave, Mansfield, OH 44907 (Google Maps link).
Directions: Clearly marked and easy to find on a major road.
Selection: Most of the store is produce and bulk foods; there is a small bent and dent section.
Lighting: Ample electric lighting.
Payment: Cash, check and credit cards accepted.
Bellville/Butler Circuit (Southwestern Richland/Northwestern Knox Counties)
J&A Bent and Dent Groceries (Closed)
A reader reports that J&A had a going out of business sale in January 2022.
Bumpy Bargains
Address: 7636 Township Rd 87, Bellville, OH 44813 (Google Maps link).
Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 9-6, Saturday 9-5, closed Thursday/Sunday.
Directions: If you can navigate around the bumps and potholes in the gravel road, the store itself isn’t hard to find.
Selection: There is a broad selection of grocery dry goods, with some of the best prices in the area.
Lighting: This is fairly dark inside; a flashlight or cell phone light will help for reading expiration dates or ingredient labels.
Payment: Amish-run; cash and check accepted; no credit cards.
J&D Bent & Dent Groceries
Address: 7157 Township Rd 119, Fredericktown, OH 43019 (Google Maps link).
Directions: If you’re heading south on 314, turn right onto Township Road 119/Pulaski-Waterford Road right before crossing I-71. It’s 0.3 miles down the road, on the right.
Selection: There is a fairly broad selection of dry goods groceries, with some excellent deals.
Payment: Amish-run; cash and check accepted; no credit cards.
Ridge Road Bent and Dent Groceries (Closed)
As of 2020, Ridge Road Bent and Dent Groceries (6100 Ridge Road, Fredericktown, OH 43019) has permanently closed.
Grammy’s Backyard Bent and Dent
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrammysBackyardBentandDent/
Address: 4180 Harris Road, Butler, Ohio 44822 (Google Maps link).
Directions: It’s well-marked, near the road, and easy to spot. The only note: Don’t pull into the parking lot too fast on an icy day, because it goes downhill straight into the building and it might be hard to stop!
Selection: There are several aisles of bent and dent groceries. Pricing tends to be neither exceptionally pricey nor exceptionally inexpensive.
Lighting: Well-lit with electric lights.
Payment: Cash, check, credit cards.
Danville Circuit (Southeastern Richland/Northwestern Knox Counties)
Sapps Run Market and Howard Bent and Dent are the anchors of this circuit. They’re the only two Amish-run ones on this circuit, and have the largest selections and the best prices.
Amity Bent and Dent
According to Google Maps, Amity Bent and Dent (16491 Wooster Rd, Mt Vernon, OH 43050) has permanently closed.
Sapps Run Market
Address: 16862 Sapps Run Rd, Danville, OH 43014 (Google Maps link; Google Maps has the address as 16682 Sapps Run Rd. but the sign at the store entrance on the road is 16862).
Directions: A professionally printed blue and white sign clearly marks the driveway. The store is easy to find up a short driveway.
Selection: This seems like a fairly new store with a broad selection at good prices. This and Howard Bent and Dent are the two anchors of this circuit, the two biggest reasons to make the drive.
Lighting: Amish-run, so no electric lights. But at midday on a fairly cloudy day, the natural lighting was adequate.
Payment: Cash and check only.
Buckeye Junction
According to their Facebook page, Buckeye Junction (12270 Millersburg Rd., Danville, OH 43014) closed at least temporarily, as of September 2020, due to lack of inventory.
Howard Bent and Dent
Address: 29591 Brush Run Rd, Howard, OH 43028 (Google Maps link).
Directions: This is just off Route 36 (315 feet, according to Google Maps) and is easy to see from Route 36. It’s a large white building with a green roof.
Selection: This is the largest bent and dent on the Danville circuit. There’s a wide selection of grocery dry goods, vitamins and health products, and some novelties.
Lighting: There is ample kerosene and natural lighting.
Payment: As of May 2021, they only accept cash, no checks.
Western Holmes County Circuit
Prairie Lane Market
Address: 7841 County Road 373, Big Prairie, OH 44611 (Google Maps link).
Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 8-5, Saturday 8-4, closed Thursday and Sunday.
Directions: Watch closely for the turn onto County Road 373. That’s likely the only challenge you might have in finding this clearly marked store. There are two buildings and an ample parking lot.
Shopping carts are outside the main building, so grab a cart on your way in.
Selection: The building closer the road is housewares, home furnishings, pet food, and the sort of odds and ends one might find in the non-grocery areas at Big Lots (but generally with better prices). The food building, which is also the checkout for both buildings, has several aisles of bent and dent groceries. There are also several non-bent-and-dent aisles, for spices, bulk foods (like chocolate and baking supplies), and chips and snacks. Finally, there are two back rooms with vitamins, paper goods like kleenex or paper plates, cards, and wrapping paper. This is one of the best bent and dents in the region.
Lighting: This is Amish-run with some natural lighting and adequate additional kerosene light.
Payment: No credit cards; cash and check only.
The StoreHouse
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheStoreHouseDiscountGrocery/
Address: 16531 State Route 3, Loudonville, OH 44842 (Google Maps link).
Hours: Monday-Friday 9-7, Saturday 9-4.
Directions: This is a clearly marked red building on a major road and quite easy to find.
Selection: There are four aisles, mostly salvage groceries, with a half-aisle of health and nutritional supplies.
Lighting: This is English-run with adequate electric lighting.
Payment: Cash, check, and credit cards are all accepted. There is a minimum purchase needed for credit cards, but I believe it was only $5 or $10.
Apple Creek/Fredericksburg Circuit (Eastern Holmes County/Southeastern Wayne County)
Country View Bend & Dent
Name: While many of the other Bent and Dents in the area are listed as such, this store’s business card is: “Country View Bend & Dent LLC Surplus Groceries.”
Address: 4097 South Kansas Road, Apple Creek, OH 44606 (Google Maps link).
Hours: Monday 8-7, Tuesday-Friday 8-5, Saturday 8-3.
Directions: It’s well-marked and not far from the road.
Selection: It’s a fairly large bent and dent selection of mostly groceries, with some nutritional supplements, books, and odds and ends.
Lighting: Skylights and rows of windows along the walls provide very ample light on most days.
Payment: Amish-run, so no credit cards.
Country Salvage Ltd.
Address: 9420 Kidron Road, Apple Creek, OH 44606 (Google Maps link).
Hours: Monday-Friday 8-5, Saturday 8-3.
Directions: It’s well-marked and easy to spot from the road. The parking lot is directly off the road.
Selection: There’s a large selection of dry goods groceries, cereal, sweets, and the like.
Lighting: It’s Amish-run, so no electric lights. Natural lighting, supplemented by kerosene lights on darker days, is adequate in most places in the store on most days.
Scenic Valley Surplus
Address: 10797 Kidron Road, Fredericksburg, OH 44627 (Google Maps link).
Directions: This is well-marked with promotional signage near the street. (It’s just down the road from Country Salvage.) Parking is up a short driveway, up a small hill.
Selection: There are no food items; it’s housewares, furnitures, and odds and ends. The prices are comparable to Big Lots.
Lighting: The lighting is fairly adequate, especially since there are no expiration dates or ingredients lists to check.
Rt. 62 Bent & Dent
Address: 1295 U.S. 62, Wilmot, OH 44689 (Google Maps link).
Directions: It’s on a major U.S. Route and well-marked. The store itself is set back from the road; follow the driveway around several turns past other farm and residential buildings to reach the store. There is parking at the end of the driveway and at several other points along the way
Selection: There are three rooms. The first room has produce, deli, frozen goods, and bent and dent sweets. The second room, off to the right, has bent and dent groceries. A third room, to your left once you enter the second room, has diapers and paper products like toilet paper and paper plates.
Lighting: Natural and kerosene lights provide adequate light in most areas.
Weaver Ridge Surplus
Address: 2495 County Road 198, Dundee, OH 44624 (Google Maps link).
Hours: Monday-Friday 8-5, Saturday 8-3.
Directions: It’s just off OH-515. Turn onto County Road 168; it’s about a tenth of a mile away, on the left.
Selection: There are several long aisles of bent and dent groceries, as well as two aisles of nutrition and health products, books, games, and odds and ends. It’s one of the larger bent and dents in the region.
Lighting: Natural and electric light is fairly adequate throughout the store, and fully adequate on bright, sunny days.
Payment: Amish-run; no credit cards.
Apple Tree Market
Address: 4922 Township Road 628, Millersburg, OH 44654 (Google Maps link).
Hours: Monday-Friday 8-5, Saturday 8-4.
Directions: The only challenging step is when you’re on County Highway 77, looking for the turn onto Township Road 628. There are several parallel streets near each other; look for the road with the buggy repair shop with, depending on the day, dozens or hundreds of buggies. Once you’re on the right road, Apple Tree Market is well-marked, though somewhat set back from the road, behind the house.
Selection: Fresh produce in a cooler and bent-and-dent dry goods. Several of the rows are bulk goods, but there are salvage groceries mixed in and sometimes very good deals.
Lighting: The light is adequate.
Payment: This is Amish-run, so no credit cards.
Southeastern Holmes/Eastern Coshocton Circuit
K&R Surplus
Address: 504 Dover Rd NE, Sugarcreek, OH 44681 (Google Maps Link).
K&R Surplus is new enough that we haven’t visited and taken our own photos, but the town of Sugarcreek posted a few on Facebook.
Scenic Surplus and Stamp Rental (Closed)
Address: 1745 Township Road 151, Baltic, OH 43804. This bent and dent is permanently closed.
Brookside Surplus
Address: 2949 State Route 93, Sugarcreek, OH 44681 (Google Maps link).
Hours: Monday-Saturday 9-5.
Directions: If you’re working from Google Maps, enter Brookside Surplus. Do not enter 2949 State Route 93, because on both the desktop and app/GPS versions of Google Maps, it will take you several miles off course (and not even on the right street!) If you’re actually on state route 93, this isn’t too hard to find; it’s a well-marked building. Brookside Furniture is nearer the road; the bent and dent is around to the right.
Selection: This is the best bent-and-dent selection in southeast Holmes County, with good prices. Most of the aisles are dry goods grocery; there’s also a nutrition and health aisle.
Lighting: The natural and supplemental light is fully adequate.
Payment: Amish-run; cash and check only.
Family Salvage
Address: 27808 County Road 10, Fresno, OH 43824 (Google Maps link).
Phone: 740.610.8585.
Hours: Monday-Tuesday 8-5, Wednesday 8-7, Thursday-Friday 8-5, Saturday 8-3.
Directions: It’s clearly marked on its road, County Road 10. It’s up a fairly long driveway, somewhat set back from the road. But since it’s an open field, not wooded, you can easily see it from the road.
Selection: This is a large bent and dent with excellent selection. It’s mostly bent and dent grocery, with some health, nutrition, beauty, and pet items, and a shelf of home-baked fresh baked goods. Even though it’s about twenty minutes away from the next nearest bent and dent (as the only bent and dent in Fresno/Coshocton County), it’s easily one of the best in the region and well worth the extra drive.
Lighting: This is Mennonite-run, well-lit with electric lights.
Payment: Cash, check, and credit cards accepted.
Murphy Valley Bent & Dent Groceries
Address: 13896 Murphy Valley Rd. Newcomerstown, OH 43832 (Google Maps link).
Phone: 419.989.2920.
Hours: Monday-Friday 8-5, Saturday 8-3
Directions: I haven’t yet visited this Bent and Dent, so the directions are courtesy of a helpful reader, Chris S., who has: “Probably the easiest way there is if you are on I-77 south to Exit 65 Port Washington/Newcomerstown. Then you want to merge right on to State Route 36. Next you want to take left on to State Route 258 East. Next take a left on to Dunlap Creek Rd. (White two story house and there
is a Murphy Valley sign here). Not too far is Murphy Valley Rd. on the left. Next Murphy Valley store will be on the left from a lane, if you went to far you’ll end up on Gravel Lick Rd. which if you turn left you’ll end up back on State Route 258. This might help 40°16’33.51″N – 81°29’3.67″W. (Store location)”
Selection: Medium-sized selection of bent and dent groceries, pet food, etc.
Updates
If you know of other bent and dents in this area, or if you have additional or updated information on any of these bent and dents, please let me know at [email protected].