West Lebanon Feed & Supply Turns 100

Reaching an anniversary is always a milestone, but few stores make it to their 100th year as a business. West Lebanon Feed & Supply Store (WLFS) is one of those few and will reach its centennial this year. Whether the store’s team is serving farmers buying livestock feed or residents shopping for pet food, WLFS has been a cornerstone of the community, continually adapting to the needs of its customers and employees.

Marketing Manager Briana Paronto helps a customer shop.

WLFS has had several owners and name changes over the years. First founded by John Fulton in 1926 as a grocery store, WLFS was known as the AMCO Service Store. In 1935 it was rebranded to the Sunshine Feed Store, primarily selling livestock feed. After 25 years, it was purchased by the national, Midwestern-based company Wayne Feeds, and by 1956, the store was called Wayne Feed Supply.

After Wayne Feeds left New England in 1970, store manager Clent Stanley purchased the location in 1974, naming it West Lebanon Supply, Inc. After working for Clent for years, his brother, Al Stanley, bought the location from him in 1984. After he retired in 1995, he sold the store to Curt and Sharon Jacques. In 1996, a fire damaged the main warehouse, so a larger 4,800-square-foot space known as the “Upper Warehouse” was built in 1998. This is when the business settled on its current name: West Lebanon Feed & Supply.

Though WLFS still supplies animal feed for some customers, when the Jacques acquired the business, WLFS pivoted toward selling pet food. WLFS also tries to keep up with customer trends, such as stocking homesteading equipment during the COVID pandemic or featuring local delivery and subscription models to compete with other online retailers.

WLFS General Manager Chris Mazurek

After owning the company for 23 years, the Jacques retired in 2023, selling the business to Teamshares, Inc., which oversaw the transition of WLFS becoming an employee-owned company. Mike Burnham, the company’s president, said although WLFS still operates in a hierarchy, the “employee-owned structure leans into the staff coming up with the ideas,” which he said gives the employees more autonomy.

“There’s always going to be turnover in retail,” said General Manager Chris Mazurek, who started with the company when he was a high school student. “But I have noticed less of that than there was before, so I do think it’s helping people want to be part of the company as a longer-term goal.”

WLFS employee Shannon Whitney likes the people she works with and the community she serves.

One of WLFS’s employees, Shannon Whitney, explained how much she likes the people she works with and the community she serves. Because of the employee-owned model, Whitney said there’s “a lot of support from the other staff members because we all have a vested interest in the company. Everybody helps everybody else — we’re always willing to jump in wherever we’re needed.”

Many staff members agree that one of WLFS’s greatest attributes is its small-town charm and community-focused mindset. “We make a point to know our customers and try to meet them where they’re at, where their needs are, and where they change and grow over the years,” said Marketing Manager Briana Paronto.

WLFS also works with local animal shelters, has held vaccination clinics, and even let new local food trucks gain business by parking in their lot during lunch hour.

WLFS President Mike Burnham loading the Kibble Cab for delivery.

“I don’t think we’ll ever lose that community spirit that we’ve had, because that’s one of the reasons you make it a hundred years,” said Burnham. “That’s got to be a cornerstone of anything we do.” This community focus helped WLFS win the title of “One of America’s Coolest Pet Stores” in a competition held by PETS+ Magazine.

To celebrate the 100th anniversary, WLFS has partnered with its pet food/feed brands and other supportive local businesses to plan a gigantic party featuring a concert with Enfield-born musician Brooks Hubbard, vendor booths, free cake, face painting, pony rides, a petting zoo, and raffle a generator. It seems like a perfect way for a community-focused store to kick off another potential 100 years.