LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Painted Tree Boutiques in Lincoln suddenly closed its doors on Tuesday morning, leaving several small business owners in the dark.
The company notified all its shop owners through an email, which Channel 8 obtained from a local vendor. The email reads in part:
“It is with great regret that we write to inform you that Painted Tree Boutique 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.
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.
We are deeply grateful to every shop owner who has been a part of the Painted Tree community. Your creativity and dedication made Painted Tree what it was, and we are truly sorry it has come to this. Thank you for everything you have contributed.”
The company said that all the vendors had to come and retrieve their items, with store staff on site to help with breakdown or loading.
According to one Lincoln vendor, they had to get all their items out before the building’s landlord locked the doors for good, or they would be auctioned off.
“Access to stores is subject to landlord decisions regarding the premises,” the company wrote in the email. “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 company is giving vendors until Sunday at 6 p.m. to retrieve their inventory.
The Painted Tree owns 61 buildings across the United States, and is closing every single one of them.
According to the Painted Tree’s Website, the boutique is an Etsy marketplace and Pinterest catalog brought to life. Painted Tree Boutiques was a retail shopping experience specializing in gifts, home decor, and boutique clothing, while empowering thousands of people to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams.
Channel 8 tried to reach out to Painted Tree, but they have yet to respond. There is no official word on why they are closing their doors.
