About Plain Places
Without an online presence, your light can only reach so far. Plain Places helps Anabaptist businesses bless the world and honor the Creator by connecting to more customers who value their work.
Get Found Online Without Building a Website or Compromising Your Values
Most Plain communities restrict internet access to guard against assimilation and harmful influences. But as shopping moves online, your offline business can start feeling invisible. Plain Places was built to bridge that gap. Your business page on Plain Places lets you reach online customers eager for what you provide, without owning a website or violating your church's standards. And signing up is simple, even if you're limited to email or fax.
When your good work reaches more people who value it, God is glorified and the world gets a little brighter. That's what Plain Places is for.
From Bedroom Websites to Building Bridges
From Bedroom Websites to Building Bridges
I'm Lavern Gingerich, founder of Plain Places and Bonflare. I started doing digital marketing for Anabaptist businesses more than 20 years ago, when I hacked together my first website in my bedroom in my parents' house. What started as curiosity became my passion, then my mission.
Marketing for plain clients has given me a front-row seat to the exceptional service and quality these businesses offer. It's always rewarding to help businesses connect with customers by using technology responsibly, in ways that honor their community values and church standards.
Plain Places is the fruit of this experience. It's powered by Bonflare's digital marketing expertise and rooted in a deep respect for Anabaptist communities and their values. That's why Plain Places is so much more than a business directory—it's a thoughtful bridge between worlds I've helped connect for two decades.
How This Platform Is Different
Unlike a typical business directory, Plain Places is tailored to the plain community:
Respect for Community Guidelines
Meet your community's internet guidelines with third-party and subdirectory hosting.
Accessible to All
Claiming your free business page is simple, whether you're using internet, email, or just a fax machine.
Fruitful Connections
Get found by customers who are already excited about the principles and values you live by.
Clean, Distraction-Free Pages
Your business page is designed to keep the focus on substance—your products and services, and the details that make your business different.
Plain Places gives you a range of ways to increase your visibility while staying true to your values. From free basic landing pages to custom websites, we'll help you find the option that respects your church's guidelines while helping you reach the people who are eager to buy from you.
Let's Build a Brighter World Together
Plain Places is inspired by these words of Jesus:
When skilled workers make things with love and attention, the result is often treasured heirlooms that can delight people for a lifetime or more. When a business resolves a customer complaint with grace and fairness, everyone's day gets that little bit brighter.
Plain Places exists to highlight this kind of work. When you choose these businesses, you don't just get great products and services: you cast a vote for a world where simple things are built with love, where face-to-face connection still matters, and where you can still trust the promise of a handshake.
Lavern Gingerich
Founder, Plain Places