His father, Ed Knisely, worked with the original Ralston Purina Company back in the late 1950s as a poultry specialist working with large poultry operations. In 1958 Ralston Purina decided it needed a dealer in the Carlisle area.
In January of 1960 Ed, along with his father, opened the original Knisely’s Feed & Farm Supply in Carlisle. Young Steve was essentially born into the family business.
Jason Malmont, The Sentinel
Knisely's Pet & Farm Center has been in its present location for 22 years, one block down from the original Knisely’s Feed & Farm Supply.
Starting out by meeting the needs of large farms, Knisely’s experience and knowledge base spans everything from lawn care to healthy dog food, and even handcrafted lawn furniture.
“If we can help grow 5,000 acres of alfalfa we certainly can help you put your lawn in,” Steve said.
Jason Malmont, The Sentinel
So what makes Knisely’s different from chain stores?
“I often say that we’re the grocery store for animal feeds,” Steve said. “A sign in our storeroom says that we can feed animals from A to Z - aardvarks to zebras.”
Knisely said his store will only sell products that provide good nutrition for animals.
And customer service is also a key to the success and longevity of the business.
“The thing that separates us, and I’m proud of it, is our staff,” said Steve. “My staff has over 100 years of experience here, their knowledge of products and their personal touch is phenomenal.”
Jason Malmont, The Sentinel
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Knisely’s fell under the state’s classification as an essential business and, as a result, never shut down. “We are the grocery store for your animals and therefore essential,” said Steve.
Knisely’s always featured pickup and delivery services, so there was no need to add that feature to the business during the pandemic. But he did say that staff is in the process of posting the store’s current inventory, over 30,000 items, and prices online so that customers will know if a certain item is in-stock and how much it costs.
“We’re doing the same things that we’ve always done, while at the same time observing COVID precautions, and the business has thrived,” said Steve. “And we really appreciate the support people have given us all these years.”
