Painted Tree Boutiques abruptly closes all stores – WRAL

Painted Tree Boutiques will close all stores, including in North Carolina.

The company alerted vendors at more than 60 stores nationwide on Tuesday of plans to cease all business operations. 

Painted Tree Boutiques is known for supporting small business owners across the country by allowing entrepreneurs the opportunity to set up physical storefronts. Painted Tree has locations on Creedmoor Road in Raleigh and at Cary Crossroads in Cary. 

In a statement provided to WRAL News, a spokesperson for the company said that “rising costs, shifting market conditions, and the evolving nature of how people shop have presented challenges” that the company could not overcome.

“We are heartbroken by this outcome,” the statement read, indicating Painted Tree’s last day of business was April 13.

“Painted Tree was never just a store, it was a gathering place. A launchpad for dreamers and a testament to the power of community,” Painted Tree’s statement read.

In an email to shop owners partnered with Painted Tree on Tuesday, the company confirmed plans to cease all business operations effective immediately and no longer conduct retail sales at any location.

For small business owners operating at Painted Tree the news came as a shock. 

“I spent my retirement checks for February, March, and April paying $330 a month for the space,” said Marvin Kessler, owner of Cam Distribution and Gifts.

Some shop owners tell WRAL this abrupt closure will result in thousands of dollars in lost revenue. 

“For my little business you’re looking at about $50,000 and then other companies it’s much higher and much larger than me,” said Amy McLamb, owner of The Grice Gallery.

Vendors were asked to retrieve their inventory at locations by April 24. For some shop owners living out of state, that will be impossible. Riley Rose, an employee at the Painted Tree, told WRAL News any merchandise left behind on Sunday may be a loss for the owners. 

“It’s going to get locked up here and it’s just going to stay in here, I guess for whatever the landlord wants to do with,” Rose said.

WRAL News has reached out to Painted Tree’s corporate communications office for more information about the announcement.

As for business owners, many say they will temporarily move operations online to stay afloat while they search for a new storefront.