What smith & hawken does

Smith & Hawken was a U.S.-based gardening lifestyle retailer founded in 1979 by Dave Smith and Paul Hawken. The company sold garden tools, outdoor furniture, and related home-and-garden lifestyle products through a multi-channel direct-to-consumer model combining physical retail stores in upscale malls across 22 states, a mail-order catalog operation (acquired from CML Group), and e-commerce. Corporate headquarters were in Novato, California, with the first store opening in Mill Valley, California in 1982. At closure the company had approximately 700 employees across stores and headquarters.

Name

smith & hawken

Legal name

Smith & Hawken

Website

https://smith-hawken.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Closed

Short description

Smith & Hawken was a U.S. gardening lifestyle retailer founded in 1979, selling garden tools, outdoor furniture, and outdoor products through mall retail stores across 22 states, mail-order catalogs, and e-commerce to residential consumers, until ceasing operations in July 2009.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Novato

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Store Sales: Physical retail store operations selling gardening tools and products in upscale malls across 22 U.S. states.
2. Mail-Order Services: Catalog-based direct mail ordering service for gardening products, acquired from CML Group.
3. E-commerce: Online commerce operations for selling gardening products.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Core offering

Smith & Hawken designed, sourced, and sold garden tools, outdoor furniture, and related garden lifestyle products to individual consumers through retail stores in upscale malls across 22 U.S. states, a mail-order catalog service, and an e-commerce platform. The company began as a gardening tools supplier in 1979 and progressively broadened its assortment into outdoor furniture and broader garden lifestyle products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Garden Tools Specialty gardening tools for residential and professional gardeners, the foundational product category on which the company was built. Targeted at individual gardeners and homeowners seeking quality tools for residential use.
• Outdoor Furniture Outdoor furniture sold as part of the company's garden lifestyle product assortment, distributed through retail stores, mail-order catalogs, and e-commerce.
• Garden Lifestyle Products Broader gardening and garden lifestyle products for home gardeners and landscaping enthusiasts, beyond the original tools focus.
• Mail-Order Catalog Service Direct mail catalog ordering service for gardening products, acquired by Smith & Hawken from CML Group, allowing customers to purchase garden products without visiting a retail location.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Direct peers

• Frontgate: Direct-to-consumer retailer of outdoor furniture, garden décor, and home goods sold through catalog and e-commerce. Comparable to Smith & Hawken's outdoor furniture and catalog heritage.
• Terrain: Anthropologie's garden lifestyle brand selling plants, outdoor furniture, and garden decor in upscale retail settings. Mirrors Smith & Hawken's premium mall-based positioning and lifestyle product mix.
• Gardener's Supply Company: Employee-owned U.S. retailer of gardening tools, supplies, and outdoor products sold through catalog and online channels. Directly comparable to Smith & Hawken's product mix and direct-to-consumer model.
• Burpee: Heritage U.S. brand selling seeds, plants, and gardening tools primarily through catalog and e-commerce. Closely comparable product categories and mail-order heritage to Smith & Hawken's pre-2009 offering.
• Lee Valley Tools: Catalog and online retailer of high-quality gardening and woodworking tools. Comparable to Smith & Hawken's original 1979 positioning as a premium gardening tool supplier.

Others

• Scotts Miracle-Gro: Former acquirer of Smith & Hawken (2004–2009) and a major lawn-and-garden consumer products company. Directly connected as Smith & Hawken's last operating owner and a category-defining peer in gardening.

Broad incumbents

• Williams-Sonoma: Large multi-brand home retailer whose Williams Sonoma brand sells indoor/outdoor furniture and entertaining products at premium price points. Comparable upscale home-and-garden positioning though broader than Smith & Hawken's garden focus.
• Restoration Hardware (RH): Luxury home furnishings retailer with significant outdoor and garden product lines. Comparable premium positioning to Smith & Hawken's upscale mall presence though at much broader scale.
• Crate & Barrel: National premium home furnishings retailer with outdoor furniture and garden accessory categories. Overlaps with Smith & Hawken's premium mall-based positioning but operates at significantly larger scale.

Emerging players

• Gardener's Edge: Online specialty retailer of professional and consumer-grade gardening tools and equipment. Comparable product focus to Smith & Hawken's tool heritage though newer and online-native.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights4 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about smith & hawken