The year was 1973. Richard Nixon was president. The Miami Dolphins won the NFL Superbowl. Martin Cooper, the inventor of the mobile phone made the first mobile call. That was the year Charley Yaw, not long after graduating from Oregon State University, decided to start his own business adventure - designing and building portable buildings. With no money in his pockets, but an entrepreneur's dream in his heart, he found a vacant chicken barn near Pine Lake, Washington and started building.

Soon afterwards, a customer asked Charley if he would turn one of his portable buildings into a backyard greenhouse. Charley went about building it, putting it on his trusty, old Ford pickup, and delivering it to his first elated greenhouse customer! He quickly saw a niche market that wasn't being met and launched into building hobby greenhouses. Business soon expanded by word of mouth from satisfied customers.

Local, commercial suppliers were not interested in selling hobby gardeners small quantities of pots, propagation mats, lights and other growing accessories for their greenhouses. Increasingly, customers were asking Charley to help them source equipment and supplies for their new greenhouses.

How about a catalog?

Since Charley had been born and raised in Sitka, Alaska on a remote island, shopping by catalog was a way of life instilled in his genes early on. It was a big event when the ship docked in town with catalog goods families had been anxiously waiting for. The Yaw family story goes, when Charley was born on Christmas Eve, his 6-year-old sister even thought Charley was a Christmas present his parents had ordered from the familiar Sears and Roebuck Catalog!

So it was destiny that Charley and his wife, Carol, put together the first 16-page, black-and-white supply catalog for their greenhouse customers. Money was scarce and they only had enough to print 400 catalogs. The initial reception, however, was overwhelming. They soon began mailing catalogs out to all parts of the country.

Carol supported the family, which now included two young children in those early years, by teaching elementary school. This enabled Charley's to continue to grow. As greenhouse demand increased, Charley added new greenhouse lines from England, Canada, Germany, China and Denmark to the supply catalog. Specialized hobby greenhouse equipment and supply offerings expanded as Charley's became the USA's #1 supplier.

Innovative propagation, lighting, easier gardening, solar, building materials, and other unique gardening products continued to make their way into the catalog. Catalog editions, size and circulation steadily increased.

Charley's has outgrown its facilities several times over the years as we've continued to add products, offices and staff. Currently we occupy 14,000 sq. ft. in facilities in the fertile Skagit Valley of Mt. Vernon, Washington - home of the internationally acclaimed Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.

FLASH! Every year or so we have a customer who calls us from Washington, D.C. and says they're planning on stopping by on their lunch hour, thinking we're in Mt. Vernon, Virginia instead of Mt. Vernon, Washington! We're glad they called in advance and wonder about the ones who didn't call?

We delight in having our mail order customers from all over the USA stop in to see us when they're coming through. We've talked on the phone and e-mailed with so many of you over the years. It's a special pleasure for us to greet you and thank you in person for your continued support.

In 1997, the company went online. Today you'll find hundreds of quality products online, plus helpful greenhouse and gardening tips. The web continues to be a dynamic marketing tool that is dramatically reshaping Charley's current and future business.

From that first portable building Charley turned into a backyard greenhouse, our greenhouse lines have evolved considerably. Today we offer 17 different styles of the best hobby greenhouses available worldwide. We have extensive sizes, home-attached models, plus customization for many of them. Our knowledgeable greenhouse consultants are available by phone and online to help you every step of the way from choosing your greenhouse through growing those tomatoes in it!

From Charley's first local Ford pickup delivery we have grown to shipping greenhouses daily all over the USA plus internationally. Our catalog equipment and supply product lines have expanded from the first 200 to over 1,200 hard-to-find greenhouse and garden items for avid gardeners.

Our catalog equipment and supply product lines have expanded from the first 200 to over 1,200 hard-to-find greenhouse and garden items for avid gardeners.

The idea to name our business Charley's Greenhouse Supplies, after Charley who started it was a no brainer. The most common spelling however is Charlie's Greenhouse by many of our customers and even some of our employees still. Through the years, our name has gone through a few changes that reflect the growth of the company. In 1997, we officially became Charley's Greenhouses & Indoor Growing Supplies. By 1999, we added "gardening supplies" to the tag line. And by 2001, the company had grown so much that we felt the name Charley's Greenhouse & Garden said it all and said it best.

Well it is not surprising to find that even after 39 years, Charlies Greenhouse is still a common misspelling of our company name on letters, mail order checks, and in search engine results. No matter — whether you find us as Charleys Greenhouse or Charlies Greenhouses (without the apostrophe), or maybe Charlies Greenhouse Supply, or just plain Charley's you've come to the right place for hobby greenhouse kits and supplies.

From that first greenhouse Charley built and sold, superior customer service and support has been the guiding principle. Charley's mission statement has stood the test of time and still says it all -

"In a friendly and supportive work environment, we seek to provide excellent customer service, quality greenhouses and innovative products to greenhouse and indoor gardeners. We are dedicated to assisting gardeners of all ages to enjoy gardening in harmony with nature."

Charley's staff is very proud of, and works hard to maintain, our long-standing reputation as innovative leaders in the USA for hobby greenhousing. You'll find our excellent customer service and knowledge second to none!

Welcome to Charley's!