For over 50 years, Clay’s Power Equipment has been serving the outdoor power equipment and lawn and garden supply needs of customers throughout the Raleigh, NC area. In that time, our business has grown and adapted to meet the changing demands of our local market, but one thing has never changed: our unmatched commitment to delivering trusted knowledge and service. Below is a brief history of our company through the years.
Our company was officially founded as Peace Street Hardware and Garden Supply by Hoyle and Margaret Clay. Originally selling hardware, seed, and plants, we also began growing plants in greenhouses behind our home for sale in the store. We also offered basic landscaping services, such as spraying ornamentals and pruning, and we started selling and servicing outdoor power equipment for the homeowner market, including Toro products, which we proudly sell to this day.
We moved the business to our present Raleigh, NC location on New Hope Church Road and renamed it Clay’s Garden Supply. Our company became a full-service garden center selling trees, shrubs, bedding plants, hardware, seed, and outdoor power equipment. We continued to grow our own plants, such as geraniums, poinsettias, hanging baskets, and bedding plants. Our high-quality plants, our staff’s expert lawn and chemical knowledge, and our personal service helped us build a loyal following among local residents.
Jerry Clay, son of Hoyle and Margaret Clay, stepped up into the management of Clay’s Garden Supply. Jerry has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Phyllis Clay, Jerry Clay’s wife, joins the company as office manager.
Noticing a shift in the local market, Clay’s Garden Supply changes its mission to specializing solely in outdoor power equipment sales and service. We changed our company’s name to Clay’s Power Equipment and broadened the scope of our inventory to include commercial landscaping equipment. We also started selling power equipment to large municipalities, such as the City of Raleigh, the City of Durham, the Town of Chapel Hill, and Wake County.
Our company expands into the sports turf industry as one of 10 dealers selected nationally as an exclusive provider of Gravely Turf products. We also added reel grinding to our outdoor power equipment product offerings. Our service offerings expanded to include maintenance, repair, and parts for local power equipment and reels including triplex mowers, wide-area rotaries, pull-behind gang reels, Locke reel mowers, National 8400, and turf products including stadium vacuums, sprayers, infield conditioner, and utility vehicles.
Clay’s Power Equipment opens our second location, located at 1206 Broad Street in Fuquay-Varina, NC. Here, we are excited to deliver the same top-quality products, expert service, maintenance, and repairs to the Southern Wake County area for which we have become renowned in Raleigh.
Acquired Franzen chainsaw sharpening machine for precise and consistent sharpenings every time
Celebrating 50 years in business!
Wes and Brianne Hoerr moved to NC from central Illinois, in July, to take on a new challenge
They purchased the business from Jerry and Phyllis Clay.
Echo Equipment is added as a new line.
Clay's purchased Cary Mower & Saw in February.
Scag Power Equipment is added as a new line in October.
