Stepping into Steinhauser’s feed store is like stepping back in time.
Stepping inside, one’s sense of smell takes over taking in the scent of leather, manila rope, and bagged livestock feed. It’s like a general store from bygone days with every manner of product.
Lloyd Steinhauser operates the chain of family stores, and three generations of Steinhausers still work there. Lloyd’s father H.H. Steinhauser bought the Sealy Oil Mill 50 years ago in 1965.
He lived in Flatonia and sent Lloyd to Sealy to run the plant. The mill processed cottonseed oil. Lloyd then added the grain and feed business soon after. Lloyd bought the business from his father in 1971. Family is an important part of the business.
“Wife Virginia is the head honcho anyway. My two sons Mike and David are in the business and grandson Kyle is very involved,” Steinhauser said.
The store likely has one of everything a farmer, rancher or pet owner could need.
“We have anything and everything from ice cream to ladies purses. I like to represent it as a one-stop agricultural store. We have fencing, gates, we have a lot of gift items. Just about anything related to agriculture or chickens, goats and cattle,” Steinhauser said.
The store carries all manner of livestock feed, fertilizer, clothing, lotions, farm and ranch related children’s toys, wagons, hats, glassware, candles, belts, preserves, candy, hardware, gardening supplies, rope, galvanized tubs and basins, shovels, hoes, saws, electric fence parts, welding supplies, PVC pipe, work boots, mud boots, dog kennels, and a great variety of dog food.
Customer loyalty from the area community has supported and kept Steinhauser’s growing.
“One family I can think of is fourth generation, and there are a lot of third generation customers. We have a growing population out here so we are getting new people all the time. Sealy a great place to live,” Steinhauser said.
“We started out as a simple grinding and mixing feed business and now the retail end has taken off. We started with a bag or two of dog food and now we may have 50 different kinds,” Steinhauser said.
“We have 9 locations: Bryan, Magnolia, Hempstead, Waller, Sealy, Brookshire, Rosenburg, Richmond and Alvin. The need was there for this type of location. We saw an opportunity. Everyday’s a challenge. You just continue to see the countryside and work with what’s coming or going,” Steinhauser said.
After 50 years of feeding livestock and pets and outfitting local farms and ranches, Steinhauser’s continues to push ahead to meet those needs locally for the next 50 years and beyond.
Source: By Lance Haygood from the Sealy News