My brand-new Smith & Hawken patio set.
All you gardeners out there -- if you haven't visited Smith & Hawken recently, you should. Parent company Scott's Miracle-Gro is liquidating its Smith & Hawken stores, with 20-30 percent discounts to be had on everything from gardening tools, planters and patio sets to gardening books.
Big discounts
I stopped there there this weekend to pick up the five-piece patio set that I had ordered. I had purchased it via special order at 30 percent just over two weeks ago, and was worried that because the company is going out of business, I would receive damaged goods. I am happy to report that the opposite happened, and that the set -- which is in perfect condition -- is now sitting on my patio.
The store was fairly busy while we were in their Princeton, N.J., store, with people buying everything from patio-table umbrellas to outdoor lighting to seat cushions. My husband and I also picked up an umbrella, stand and covers for our table and umbrella at 20-30 percent off. In fact, the umbrellas were disappearing so quickly, that at one point I sent my husband over to grab one before they were gone. (We were going to pick one up after perusing the entire store.)
The stores will remain open until after everything is sold and could remain open until the end of this year. There could be a bonus for those who wait -- the retailer may discount its inventory even further, Examiner.com reports. But from the looks of things -- at least at the Smith & Hawken store near me, the good stuff may go quickly.—Lauren Baier Kim