Is Smith & Hawken really going out of business or are they restructuring?
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 weedkiller 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. 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.” Store employees were telling stunned customers that they, too, had just learned the retailer was liquidating and that they would soon be without jobs. There w
People may be focusing on their backyard plants during the recession, but they aren’t shopping at high-end garden stores. That’s the reality faced by the Northern California-based retailer Smith & Hawken, which is dying on the vine after 30 years in business. The chain is closing its doors. It originally opened as a place for serious gardeners—selling tools with a lifetime guarantee. The basic garden-supply store was bought by a weed-killing manufacturer, then branched out to general outdoor stuff, like fire pits and (really, really expensive) teak furniture. In these tough economic times, what should have been a blooming time for the garden business failed to grow. The one note of good news (and there isn’t much: All 56 stores will close and 700 people will lose their jobs): Going-out-of-business sales start now. But don’t bother heading to the website. That’s already been shut down. If you want to scoop up a nifty deal on a terrarium or a patio heater, you’ll have to do it the old-fa
Smith & Hawken, the symbol of high-end gardening for more than 30 years, is going out of business. Founded in Marin County, Calif., as a garden tool importer, it was purchased in 2004 by Scotts Miracle-Gro. “With the economy and the markets the way they are, this is just something we needed to do for the overall business,” said Scotts Miracle-Gro spokesman Su Lok from company headquarters in Ohio. There are no more on-line sales, but some 56 retail outlets – there is one in Chevy Chase – will be open until they finish liquidation. Its two founders told reporters they are relieved because the business had long since become detached from its original values. While the original Smith & Hawken focused on high-end English gardening tools with a lifetime guarantee, the company branched into outdoor living products such as furniture, fire pits, lighting and garden decor. Sources:
Smith & Hawken, the symbol of high-end gardening for more than 30 years, is going out of business. Founded in Marin County, Calif., as a garden tool importer, it was purchased in 2004 by Scotts Miracle-Gro. “With the economy and the markets the way they are, this is just something we needed to do for the overall business,” said Scotts Miracle-Gro spokesman Su Lok from company headquarters in Ohio. There are no more on-line sales, but some 56 retail outlets – there is one in Chevy Chase – will be open until they finish liquidation. Its two founders told reporters they are relieved because the business had long since become detached from its original values. While the original Smith & Hawken focused on high-end English gardening tools with a lifetime guarantee, the company branched into outdoor living products such as furniture, fire pits, lighting and garden decor.
