To Build a Village – The Reimer Store Gary Dyck, Blog Coordinator H.W. Reimer Store in Steinbach. (Photo: Laszlo Markovics) Stores were unusual in the early Manitoba Mennonite villages and yet it was Steinbach’s first store that became the Mennonite Heritage Village’s (MHV) first building. Mennonites were almost exclusively farmers and believed that making a living from the soil was most desirable since it required little contact with the outside world. Small general stores, however, began to make their appearance and often became flourishing businesses. They were just big enough to fit a family out for a visit, a group of boys buying candy or a group of men needing a place to converse.