Established in 1886, James Smith, Jim's grandfather, had a tripe works on Smith Street, Skelmersdale as well as shops on Sandy Lane and Moor Street. At its height "James Smith Retail and Wholesale Tripe Dressers" employed eight men cleaning the tripe, the business had three horses and carts as well as a wagon which would collect from the slaughterhouses in the area. These works closed in 1939 due to the outbreak of war, but the shop on Moor Street continued to be the home and workplace of James' son, William (born 1880 in Barnsley), his wife Minnie (nee Roughley) and their family, as it had been since the early 1900s.
For many years the Smith premises (18 and 20 Moor Street) included a "chip potato shop"; in 1912 William Smith was assaulted in this shop, which was often open until midnight, by Patrick Sweeney who had been drinking heavily in the Ship Inn next door. By the late 1930s this was described as a "fish and chip restaurant"; a portion of fish, chips, tripe and a cup of tea could be purchased for a shilling.
William Smith retired in the early 1950s leaving the business in the capable hands of his son Jim, who had started work there as a lad aged 13. In 1958 William and Minnie celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary having been married at Ormskirk Parish Church in 1908. When William passed away in 1960, his obituary in the Ormskirk Advertiser described him as a well known and highly respected member of the local community who had a wide circle of friends due to his sporting associations. This was an attribute continued by his son Jim, who played Rugby League professionally for Swinton and St. Helens in the 1920s.
Jim Smith, who was born in 1913, lived on Holborn Hill for many years with his wife Norah. He passed away in 2004 aged 91. When he retired in 1980 he was quoted in the Ormskirk Advertiser as saying "when young girls are coming in, taking one look at tripe and asking what kind of fish it is, its time to pack up".