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.<\/p>\n
HOUSTON \u2014 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.<\/p>\n
Vendors say the sudden closures have disrupted their primary source of income and forced them to quickly retrieve merchandise from multiple locations.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
But vendors say that the arrangement ended abruptly.<\/p>\n
Heather Meehan said many sellers were notified with little warning.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost of us got an email yesterday telling us they were ceasing all sales and were no longer operating as of that moment,\u201d Meehan said.<\/p>\n
For many, the closures represent more than a business setback. Vendors say the income they depended on disappeared overnight.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the majority of my income, and to lose it overnight \u2014 it\u2019s upsetting,\u201d Meehan said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the third store I\u2019ve been to today. This is just inventory \u2014 I still have to come back for my fixtures,\u201d Stegman said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cOutside of Texas\u2026 I\u2019m donating it to Goodwill or Salvation Army,\u201d McDonald said.<\/p>\n
She estimates her losses at around $12,000.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was calculating \u2014 it\u2019s going to be around $12,000,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
In a statement to CBS News, Painted Tree said the decision \u201cdid not come lightly\u201d and marked \u201cthe end of a chapter,\u201d but did not provide further explanation for the abrupt closures.<\/p>\n
As vendors work to clear out booths and recover inventory, many say they are also facing uncertainty about unpaid sales from recent transactions.<\/p>\n
Meehan said vendors were given no opportunity for a final sale or payout.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo option for an end-of-season sale \u2014 nothing like that. We won\u2019t be getting paid for this month\u2019s sales at all. It\u2019s a loss,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Meehan said vendors are already exploring ways to keep their businesses going.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrying to see if we can find a space to rent out \u2014 pop-ups in the meantime,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Many vendors are now connecting through groups like \u201cShop Small Kingwood,\u201d hoping to recover losses, rebuild their businesses and continue operating outside of Painted Tree locations.<\/p>\n