‘This is the majority of my income’ | Painted Tree closures leave Houston-area small business vendors scrambling

Painted Tree Boutiques is shutting down locations across the U.S., including six stores in the Houston area, leaving hundreds of small business owners scrambling.

HOUSTON — Painted Tree Boutiques is shutting down locations across the U.S., including six stores in the Houston area, leaving hundreds of small business owners scrambling to recover thousands of dollars in inventory and lost sales.

Vendors say the sudden closures have disrupted their primary source of income and forced them to quickly retrieve merchandise from multiple locations.

The indoor marketplace once provided space for hundreds of vendors to sell handmade goods and small business products. Entrepreneurs say the model allowed them to turn their passions into profit by renting booth space, while Painted Tree handled sales in exchange for a percentage.

But vendors say that the arrangement ended abruptly.

Heather Meehan said many sellers were notified with little warning.

“Most of us got an email yesterday telling us they were ceasing all sales and were no longer operating as of that moment,” Meehan said.

For many, the closures represent more than a business setback. Vendors say the income they depended on disappeared overnight.

“This is the majority of my income, and to lose it overnight — it’s upsetting,” Meehan said.

Others described the challenge of retrieving inventory spread across multiple locations, sometimes in different states. Kim Stegman said she has been traveling from store to store trying to collect her items.

“This is the third store I’ve been to today. This is just inventory — I still have to come back for my fixtures,” Stegman said.

Some vendors say they are now forced to make difficult decisions about what to do with remaining products. Lauren McDonald said distance and cost are preventing her from retrieving everything.

“Outside of Texas… I’m donating it to Goodwill or Salvation Army,” McDonald said.

She estimates her losses at around $12,000.

“I was calculating — it’s going to be around $12,000,” she said.

In a statement to CBS News, Painted Tree said the decision “did not come lightly” and marked “the end of a chapter,” but did not provide further explanation for the abrupt closures.

As vendors work to clear out booths and recover inventory, many say they are also facing uncertainty about unpaid sales from recent transactions.

Meehan said vendors were given no opportunity for a final sale or payout.

“No option for an end-of-season sale — nothing like that. We won’t be getting paid for this month’s sales at all. It’s a loss,” she said.

Despite the financial and logistical challenges, some vendors say they are trying to regroup and support one another through online communities and pop-up opportunities.

Meehan said vendors are already exploring ways to keep their businesses going.

“Trying to see if we can find a space to rent out — pop-ups in the meantime,” she said.

Many vendors are now connecting through groups like “Shop Small Kingwood,” hoping to recover losses, rebuild their businesses and continue operating outside of Painted Tree locations.

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