Smith and Hawken Is Going Out of Business
It was almost 30 years ago that Smith and Hawken started in the garden business and today is closing its doors.
The move calls for the closing of all of Smith & Hawken's 56 retail stores " including those in Palo Alto, Los Gatos, Burlingame, Berkeley and Walnut Creek. Going-out-of-business sales started Thursday. "I can't believe it's closing " look at all the signs," said Anne Thatcher, pointing to postings in the Los Gatos store saying everything was up to 30 percent off. "I've always shopped here; they have everything from garden furniture to cute accessories to good healthy, plants.'' In a prepared statement, Jim Hagedorn, chairman and chief executive officer of ScottsMiracle-Gro, which owns Smith and Hawken, said: We would have preferred to sell the Smith and Hawken business in order to protect jobs and keep the retail franchise intact. However, after discussions with several potential investors over the past 12 months, it became obvious that shutting down the business was the best option available.
With having over 50 stores across the United States, this is a sad day for employees of the company. Thirty years after Dave Smith and Paul Hawken founded gardening-tool importer Smith & Hawken in Mill Valley, the company will be shut down by the weed-killer manufacturer that purchased it in 2004. Ohio parent company Scotts Miracle-Gro said Wednesday that it will cease Smith & Hawken business by the end of 2009, having hired a liquidator to help it do so.
Their website, catalog, and call center have all shut down, and you can expect sales storewide starting today. Smith and Hawken gift cards will be honored at the stores during the closure process.
Do you shop at Smith and Hawken? Do you know anyone who works there? Are you sad to see it close its doors? "Even though gardening and garden seeds are booming, all of a sudden you're left with an image and a lot of products that real gardeners and real farmers don't really need or want." Those gardeners might soon have a new place to find those products. Hawken says he is planning to launch a Web-based store for garden tools. "I never did sign a noncompete" agreement, he said. "I might have to go with my name again."
The good news is that legacy will continue on.
