Great research Canny Lass.
Local knowledge seems to indicate there were three Miss Smails . Grandmother , mother and granddaughter at the shop near Hollymount .
The Smail’s shop in Morpeth sold similar products to farmers and locals. I feel they must be related .
Working on gardens and on large estates may have led the family of the Smails to opportunities to sell supplies to an emerging market .
Moving off the land to an industrial society may have been a factor. More products available plus the rise of allotments. So many people kept live stock .( Pigs Hens ).
We could learn something from the past here . No transporting of products huge distances.
Hardware shops in Scotland are still a viable business model . In England big business has taken over with a need for a car to get you to say B and Q .