Painted Tree Boutiques, a nationwide retail chain that gave independent small business owners a brick-and-mortar platform to sell gifts, clothing, and home decor products, abruptly announced that it would cease all business operations on Tuesday, April 14.
Vendors were given a 10-day window to collect their inventory during limited daytime hours.
The Arkansas-based company was founded in 2015 and later expanded to over 60 locations across more than a dozen states.
Painted Tree described itself as “An Etsy marketplace and Pinterest catalog come to life.”
Many locations were housed in former Bed Bath & Beyond stores. The chain operated as a marketplace where local independent small businesses could rent a booth to sell their products.
Small business shop owners were given no notice
The sudden closure left employees, customers, vendors blindsided, based on hundreds of social media comments on the brand’s Instagram page.
Vendors were reportedly given no advance notice, learning about the news through a company email on April 14. Some vendors first heard about the closure through social media, friends and family, or store signage.
“It is with deep regret that we write to inform you that Painted Tree Boutiques has made the very difficult decision to cease all business operations today; Painted Tree will not be conducting any further retail sales at any location,” read the April 14 email, which is circulating on social media and was shared by a journalist for Cincinnati’s WKRC on Facebook.
The email continued, “We understand the impact this has on you and your business, and we are truly sorry. We know many of you have invested significant time, energy, and resources into building your spaces at Painted Tree, and this is not the outcome any of us hoped for.”
Vendors were instructed to collect their goods between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. local time through April 24.
However, the email warned that access to stores is subject to landlord approval. “We are working with landlords as we are able to preserve access to the buildings during this time. We strongly encourage you to retrieve your inventory as soon as possible,” the email read.
Lots of questions, few answers
Thousands of small business owners across the country are now left scrambling to pack up and haul away their unsold goods.
The retail chain is reportedly preparing to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Vendors fear they will never receive payment for rent, deposits, and recent sales, according to media reports and social media commentary.
Fast Company reached out to Painted Tree Boutiques for more information. We’ll update this story if we receive a reply.
At the time of this writing, the chain has a note on the homepage of its website that reads: “Painted Tree Closed Effective April 14, 2026.”
But the brand has not publicly mentioned the store closures on its social media accounts. Shop owners, employees, and members of the public have been taking to social media to comment on the abrupt closing.