In 1962, Albert B. Smith (Stanley's son) became president, expanding the business into a chain of stores which, at 25,000 square feet (2,300 m2) each, were considered large at the time.

[8] By 1950 the electronics industry began booming in the Santa Clara Valley, and with it came an abundance of new home owners in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The $134 million management buyout was led by OSH president Maynard Jenkins and Freeman Spogli & Company.

[15][16] In March 1993 OSH made an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ORH.

[19] In 2005, Sears sold a 19.9% interest in the company to Ares Management of Los Angeles for US$58.7 million, announcing expansion plans at the time.

Mr. Baker was a veteran of the major hardware chains HomeBase, Home Depot, Scotty's, as well as Gander Mountain and Scotts Miracle-Gro companies.

[1] On June 17, 2013, Orchard Supply Hardware announced it filed for Chapter 11 under the U.S. bankruptcy code and that most of its assets would be sold to the Lowe's Home Improvement chain for $205M in cash.

[24] At the close of the process, Orchard Supply remained a separate brand and operating entity from the Lowe's chain.

According to a company spokesperson, workers at the stores that closed were not eligible for severance pay due to the bankruptcy proceeding, but Orchard Supply is "providing incentive bonuses to key employees.

The OSHbots resembled white columns with two large LCD screens and were equipped with 3D cameras, so they could identify items brought in by customers, and had wheels on either side that helped them move.

The robots spoke English and Spanish and were connected to an inventory database so they could inform customers if an item was out of stock.

[31][30] On August 22, 2018, Lowe's publicly announced that Orchard Supply Hardware would be closed down nationwide, and would begin liquidation.

In 2019, Central Network Retail Group (CNRG) purchased leases to 7 former OSH locations in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Undeterred, Smith bought a railroad boxcar from Southern Pacific, painted the car with the OSH logo, and placed it at the end of the spur track behind his store and alongside Auzerais Street.

[35][36][37] Originally conceived as a marketing program, company president, Al Smith who had worked for the Southern Pacific Railroad, had a love of trains and is credited with the theme.

[37] Other images have featured landscapes, steam-powered machines, automobiles, historical drawings, produce from the Santa Clara Valley.