Sylvester Ephraim Smith opened the store that bears his name in the late 1800's, making this the oldest continuously operating business in West Rutland.  He originally milled his own grain, and sold lumber and coal as well.  In 1897, a fire caused major damage to the business.  Though parts of the building did burn down, most of the original structure still stands today.



In the early 1900's the business was turned over to S.E. Smith's daughter, Mabel Mead.  Mabel ran the business for many years, before selling the store to her son-in-law, Chauncey Osborne.  In 1944, Chauncey decided to expand the stores offerings by adding Blue Seal Feeds, making S.E. Smith one of the company's oldest independent dealerships.  In 1972 Bob Hill purchased the store from the Osborne family.



In 1988 John Littler, a former dairy sales rep for Blue Seal, purchased S.E. Smith.  John helped transition S.E. Smith from a store that specialized primarily in farm feed to the current business that offers a full line of feed and supplies for farms, pets, poultry, horses, and wild birds.  He also began to offer lawn and garden supplies.



In 2013 John's youngest son Chris Littler became a partner in the business, and took full control in 2023.  Chris has helped the store further expand by bringing in feeds from Poulin, Green Mountain Feeds, Purina, and Nutrena.  As S.E. Smith approaches its 150th year in business, it is still a leader in sales and service for all your animal related needs.