We’ve all gone through the routine: You need an item, so you scurry all over town from one mass box store retailer to another, looking in vain. Despite their massive inventories, you can’t always find what you need when you need it. That’s a frustrating, time-wasting useless exercise. But eventually it occurs to you that maybe it’s time to think “outside the box” to find that suddenly “hard-to-find” item. Then suddenly it occurs to you- there is a better way, that’s been there for generations: think outside the box by stopping first at Smithfield Implement- they almost always have what you’re looking for.
In the surprising sameness of modern retail, Smithfield Implement is unique in a myriad of ways. They’re proud to stand alone almost as a dinosaur- a remaining relic of independently-owned, service-first American business- truly a standout in the quick changing retail market.
Smithfield Implement is proud to be known for their unique blend of “Customer first” bedrock retail principles, supplying 1) Selection, 2) Quality 3) Price, and 4) Service, from a well trained staff. And you don’t have to run up and down aisles to get help when you need it. The staff is there, eager to answer questions and concerns any time. Customers rely on the staff’s combined experience, helping consumers make good purchase decisions from their vast array of products and services. If an employee doesn’t know the answer to a question, they’ll quickly find someone who does. Locals have relied on “The Implement” for generations. In fact, many of the Implement’s employees’ parents and grandparents also worked at Smithfield Implement.
Their apparel department has a massive supply of inventory, with over ¾ million dollars of boot inventory alone, not to mention their enormous selection of western straw hats, belts & buckles, work apparel and western clothing. Their massive inventory includes tens of thousands of items, each of which is important for their customers. For years they promoted their “narrow aisles, bringing you smiles.” What a great, descriptive slogan for one of Cache county’s most notable retailers. There literally is something for everyone at Smithfield Implement.
Through the years, the business has expanded, many, many times, in the basement, in storage facilities, literally utilizing every square space available to keep up with the growing demands of its customers. Their original location was located just south of the present location, and over the years, numerous additions and remodels have been made to better showcase their goods. A huge addition was added on the building’s south side in 1988.
Current owner, Bart Roylance, recently recalled how at one time a tunnel was dug to connect the store’s basement to a storage facility, which was then under a right-of-way. Over time, remodels and additions added critically needed selling on the building’s southside. Its long white painted exterior was recently highlighted by a cheerful bright light blue trim, making the store’s presence almost impossible to miss at its location on the west side of the intersection of Main Street and 100 North in downtown Smithfield.
Hardware has always been the backbone of Smithfield Implement’s business. They’ve become one of the best-known True Value Hardware dealers in the Intermountain West, selling consumer goods, household and garden products, and a literal plethora of other items from their massive inventory.
It’s virtually impossible to highlight all the departments and items at Smithfield Implement. But navigating their website at SmithfieldImp.com illustrates just a few of the many items available every day. They are proud to have been named winner of 2024’s Best of Northern Utah’s honors in both Farm & Home and Hardware categories. It’s quite an honor to be named in two very competitive categories.
They’ve preserved and collected many historic items through the years, but most are not on display- there’s simply no room for their many relics, many of whom are worthy of display in a museum. But, nonetheless, they’re still there, solemn reminders of the business’ incredible legacy. Like many of the physical relics from the past, some practices have also changed through the years. For generations, their Krazy Daze sales event in February became an iconic sales event, where crowds thronged, looking for bargains. Sadly, this big event had to be put to rest during Covid, but memories of it linger.
A Brief History
Smithfield Implement opened in 1914, owned by the E.R. Miles family, who sold farming equipment and implements, such as alfalfa mills, threshers, hardware, buggies- even automobiles and appliances in a small storefront south of the present store, which is now covered by their south parking lot. Jesse Marsden (commonly known as J.M.) and his wife Hazel Roylance bought the business in about 1920. J.M. later developed a new rock guard to protect the blades of hay mowers, which he marketed across the U.S..
The Roylance’s son, Ralph, began working in the family business upon graduating from Utah State University. Taking over management of the business after his parents retired, Ralph was central to the legendary retail store’s evolution from an implement house into what it is today. Ralph owned and operated the business for over sixty years in just one aspect of his extraordinary, multi-faceted life. Born in 1926 to Jesse M and Hazel Miles Roylance, Ralph was an outstanding athlete and a gifted operator of the prolific family business.
Always focused and extremely competitive, Ralph excelled athletically at Richmond’s North Cache High School, where he was named to the second team All-Regional basketball team. He was also a standout on the All-State football teams in 1943 and 1944, and won state championships in the javelin throw in both his junior and senior year. After graduating from high school, Ralph joined the U.S. Navy during World War II. Trained as a radio operator, he served at Guadalcanal and participated in the invasion of Okinawa.
After the war, he attended Utah State University, becoming USU’s first Track & Field All-American, in the javelin throw. As a running back on the Aggie football team, he averaged 7.8 yards per carry, receiving all-conference recognition as honorable mention.
In 1950, Ralph planned to test himself in international javelin competition during a tour of Europe, then hopefully compete at the 1952 Olympics. But sadly, he was thwarted from competing, as he suffered recurring bouts of the malaria he had contracted in overseas duty during his time in the army.
For 15 years, Ralph starred for the Smithfield Blue Sox semi-pro baseball team, breaking many records for strike-outs and also base-stealing. At the age of 40 he took up skiing, and aggressively competed in ski races throughout the western United States for decades. His son, Bart recalls that Ralph skied competitively well into his nineties, always eager to improve his times.
Ralph’s recent honors include being named Smithfield’s Outstanding Citizen in 1989; winning Gold Medals in his age division nine times in the Utah NASTAR Ski Racing Finals, breaking records in the senior division at the Utah Summer Games; and being inducted into both the Utah Sports Hall of Fame in 2000 and USU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009.
In 1950, Ralph accepted the responsibility of managing his family’s business, evolving its transition from implement dealer to a large general store. Over the more than six decades since then, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to making Smithfield Implement one of Cache Valley’s most iconic and successful local businesses. In the early 2000s, Ralph gradually turned management over to his son, Bart and his wife, Julie, as they became the third generation of Roylances to own and operate the store. They continue to manage its operations. Ralph died on May 9, 2022, at the age of 96.
Through the years, facilities, product lines, and employees have changed in innumerable ways, following the latest trends and demands of retail shopping, Smithfield Implement’s place in Cache Valley remains strong and vibrant, thanks to their commitment to serving the ever-changing needs of its customers. For over 100 years, their slogan has become a byword in the local community:
Smithfield Implement- Where your money always buys you more.
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