Vignette > Smith & Hawken

In 1979, Dave Smith and Paul Hawken founded Smith & Hawken for catalog sales of sturdy garden tools manufactured in England.  In 1982 they opened a retail store on the corner of Lovell Ave. and Corte Madera Ave.  By 1988 the business had become a great success: Paul Hawken was named Citizen of the Year by the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce; he had authored a popular book, “Growing a Business” that was the basis for a TV series; the company specialized in garden and horticultural products with $20 million in annual gross revenue.  In 1993, Dave Smith having left the business, Paul Hawken sold it to a retail conglomerate. In 2004, lawn and garden products maker Scotts Miracle-Gro became the owner. Smith & Hawken had 56 U.S. stores, employed about 850 people and would generate $145 million of revenue in 2004. In 2009, Scotts Miracle-Gro announced that it would shut down Smith & Hawken. All 56 of Smith & Hawken stores in 22 states would close The online store would also shut down, and some 700 employees would lose their jobs, including 70 at the company’s headquarters in Novato. In 2010, Target acquired the Smith & Hawken brand name.