Mark Smith, a co-founder and the owner of West Seattle Nursery & Garden Center, has announced he will retire after 35 years in business. His last day is September 30. The Nursery will remain open under new ownership to be announced in the coming weeks.

A private party is being held in his honor and Smith said his daughter Caroline told him, "I'm going to invite all the friends you don't know you have."

Born in Dayton Ohio, Smith grew up "in a retail family" with his father was a regional manager for Florsheim shoes. They moved to Seattle when Mark was nine years old. He got into and out of college with a degree in Urban Geography (though it took time to complete it) and then in his 20's he got into selling Christmas Trees, something the nursery does to this day. His tree selling associate got Smith into plant sales. "Retail is not complex," Smith said, "You find something people want to buy. You charge enough to make a profit. You gotta watch your costs very carefully. You do that you run a successful business."

The Nursery began as a seasonal lot in the spring of 1984. Smith and Irene Stewart, the business co-founder, set up shop first on SW Barton Street, across from Westwood Village. They moved around West Seattle until 1987, when they opened year around on land that is now a park by Beveridge Place. "Every time I set it up the property owner would sell it because it looked so good," said Smith laughing.

In 1990, they moved to the current location at California Ave and SW Brandon St. a former Herfy's, then Arby's then a car parts business. In 1992, they received a Mayor’s Small Business Award presented by then Mayor Norm Rice in recognition of their creativity and community reinvestment.

Throughout the years, the Nursery has been committed to offering programs that benefit the West Seattle community, promote gardening, and engage children in the joy of learning and watching things grow. Irene Stewart played an important role in getting the West Seattle Garden Tour started in 1995, and the nursery has been a sponsor every year since.

Smith became sole proprietor in 1997. Throughout the years, he has maintained a commitment to community, with the nursery offering classes, demonstrations, and open houses. Outside of West Seattle, the nursery is known for its award winning display gardens at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. Those awards were a factor in the the business becoming a "destination" nursery for people around the region.

Back at home, the nursery  has sponsored Greenlife, the eco-friendly feature at the annual street fair in the West Seattle Junction. For many years, Smith has handed out candy to children trick-or-treating in the Junction business district. The nursery has a long history of donating to local school programs, garden-related community projects, and charities like Southwest Youth and Family Services, The West Seattle Food Bank, and West Seattle Helpline. The nursery’s new coffee bar donates the tips it collects to local non-profits, choosing a different one each month.

In 2014, Smith and his staff began planning an ambitious expansion project to be undertaken on the property adjacent to the nursery, where he was living at the time. He offered to give his house to anyone who would haul it away (there were no takers). It was demolished in October of 2015, to make way for the new Greenhouse/Gift Shop which opened in November of 2016.

“This has been an amazing journey. There have been some challenges but many more pleasant surprises,” said Smith. “Ultimately I think the Nursery has become a resource in the West Seattle community, and I am most proud of that achievement.” He said that since the expansion, business has nearly doubled and he gives all the credit to Manager Marcia Bruno and Jeanine James. "This place was at a certain level and they joined and took it to a whole new level."

Smith says he will miss the customers who enjoy shopping at the Nursery, especially in springtime when the lot overflows with flowers in bloom. He says he will also miss the Nursery’s staff, some of who have worked with him for decades.

“I have asked every manager at the Nursery to hire people who do the job better than me, and they did,” he said. “We have a fantastic team.” He has been surrounded by women most of his professional life and said, "The most impressive man I've ever been is what a woman sees in me."

Smith intends to stay active in retirement. Some plans include taking classes at South Seattle College and learning the Chinese martial art, tai chi. He also wants to stay engaged. Travel is a possibility with a local stop in Portland and a trip to Ireland with his daughter being planned.

“This is a new phase,” Smith said. “I look forward to trying new things and also finding new ways to give back to the West Seattle community that helped the business grow.”

Looking back at the success Smith said, "I am proud that the community likes the place so much. People mostly come here just to look for beauty. Once they are here they might buy something."

His advice to his younger self? "It'll be ok. You'll make it."