With great sadness and a little surprise, I found out this week about the fate of Smith & Hawken, one of my favorite garden catalogs stores. It is closing. They’ve already shut the website down. The retail stores will be closed and all the inventory liquidated by the end of 2009.
It was always a treat to visit the Smith & Hawken store in Houston. When it first opened, it was inspiring. Such a beautiful place and yes, filled with beautiful things… albeit many I just could not afford. I always imagined wealthy people shopping at their stores… ordering teak benches for lavish garden parties or hand forged tools for romantic greenhouses made of glass. Their garden shed filled with stacks of old worn clay pots. I love clay pots. I read on GardenRant about some of the history behind the company and it peaked my curiousity. Turns out Paul Hawken is a renowned environmentalist and Smith & Hawken is just one of his accomplishments. Smith & Hawken was sold to The Scotts Company in 2004.
How ironic that Smith & Hawken would end up closing at the hands of the largest fertilizer and pesticide company in the country. That’s right! SCOTTS (aka Miracle Grow, Weed and Feed, Bug B Gone… you know who they are).
Smith & Hawken History:
1979: The company is founded by Dave Smith and Paul Hawken.
1982: The first retail store opens.
1992: Paul Hawken leaves the company.
1993: CML Group acquires Smith & Hawken.
1999: DDJ Capital buys the company.
2004: The Scotts Company becomes the new owner.
2009: Scotts announces it is closing Smith & Hawken after they are unable to find a buyer.
Click here to read the details. It is very interesting and inspiring.
I can’t stop thinking about it. Perhaps others will suffer the same fate? In this economy, who knows what is going to happen? Is there anything we can do?
I ordered the books written by Paul Hawken yesterday and will be reading them this week. I really feel there is something to learn from this. The first of the books will be delivered today Growing a Business
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If substantially all the assets of Smith & Hawken are acquired, consumer information may be transferred as part of the acquisition. Madalynn Garden