Painted Tree Boutiques left hundreds of small businesses across the country scrambling, following the company’s unexpected closure on April 14. Painted Tree owned over 60 nationwide locations with Tennessee locations in Murfreesboro, Franklin and Madison.

Painted Tree Boutiques was a vendor market company that housed hundreds of storefronts for small businesses. Individual booths in the store often showcased local artisans, crafts and boutique owners. Vendors paid Painted Tree rent ranging from $150 to $1,300 a month per booth, depending on size and store location.

Painted Tree also collected 10% of all vendor sales. By the time of closure, vendors had already paid their rent for the month of April and now wonder if they’ll ever see that money back. 

The company notified vendors of the closure via email on April 14.

“Painted Tree will not be conducting any further retail sales at any location,” the email said. “We understand the impact this has on your business, and we are truly sorry.” 

The email informed vendors that all merchandise and inventory must be collected by April 24. Vendors who have storefronts in multiple Painted Trees across the country received the same 10-day time frame to move their inventory.

A second and final email with a “Shop Owner Q&A” attached, discussed inventory retrieval details and financials. 

Questions concerning paid April rent, pre-paid rent, security deposit returns, past settlements and payouts were all met with the same answer. 

“Painted Tree anticipates the filing of a chapter seven bankruptcy liquidation case,” the company said. “You will have the opportunity to file a proof of claim with the bankruptcy court once the filing occurs for any amounts you believe are owed to you. Information on how to file a claim, including deadlines, will be provided as the case progresses.” 

Hundreds of small business owners are devastated by both the closure and the limited communication between Painted Tree and its vendors. 

Among those affected is Vicky Pope, owner of Just Another Mom Hustler, who has been in business with Murfreesboro’s Painted Tree since they opened in 2021.

Pope held two booths in Painted Tree, one large and one smaller storefront. Her business sells handmade Grand Prix-related items, gifts for grandparents and Christian merchandise.

“Anything that I could put a grandparent name on, I did it,” Pope said. “I woke up every morning and started pressing shirts – it was my job. It was a full-time job.” 

Pope says she found out about the closure while restocking items and saw a sign on the door. The initial email delivered to all vendors was sent an hour and a half after the store had already opened at 10 a.m. 

“I feel like I’ve literally lost everything,” Pope said. “I feel very betrayed, very lied to because everything’s good and then all of a sudden this – they had to have known they were filing for bankruptcy.” 

Pope said she doesn’t see Painted Tree paying any of its vendors back. 

“I mean, look at what they’ve done to us,” Pope said. “[Painted Tree] said we could file claims, but everything’s gonna take a while – I don’t see it happening.” 

While vendors are heavily impacted, customers are also left in the dark following the closure. 

Jackie Oen, a regular Painted Tree customer, said she visited locations in Murfreesboro and Cincinnati. 

“I always thought it was a fun little place to go in,” Oen said. “The kind of place you could spend hours just looking at everything.”

Oen said the situation is disappointing to see as a Painted Tree customer and a supporter of small businesses. 

“At the end of the day, it was for money, more than supporting small businesses,” Oen said. “It definitely makes me lose a lot of respect.”

Pope said her and several other businesses have nowhere to store their merchandise in between the chaos. She says that she plans to host a “Painted Tree Closure Vendor Yard Sale” to help fellow vendors get rid of extra inventory. 

“I’m just gonna try to clear that inventory out, and I’ll probably be done,” Pope said. “I don’t trust people anymore.”

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