Dozens of small business owners across the St. Louis area are scrambling after Painted Tree Boutiques abruptly shut down all of its locations nationwide Monday, leaving vendors with unanswered questions about deposits and final payments, and, in some cases, little hope of recovering money they're already owed.
The Arkansas-based company, which grew to more than sixty locations nationwide, leased booth space to local makers and artists and took a commission on sales. Its two St. Louis-area locations, in Maplewood and Ballwin, were home to hundreds of individual vendors selling everything from handmade art prints to graphic apparel to home decor.
The closure came in a single email. Makers tell KMOX it had no guidance on outstanding balances or deposits.
"There was no follow up of what happens next, what happens to our deposits, what happens with the money that we've already made this month — nothing whatsoever," said Natalie Von Till, a mixed media artist who had booths at both St. Louis locations for two and a half years. "It was really out of the blue."
The company cited rising costs, shifting market conditions and changes in consumer shopping behavior. In a statement, Painted Tree called itself "never just a store" and said it was "heartbroken by this outcome." Vendors were given until April 24th to retrieve their inventory, though many rushed to clear out their booths immediately, nervous that landlords might lock them out before the deadline.
Emily Perrotta, who operated a Jane of All Trades STL booth at the Ballwin location, said she went in Tuesday morning to find most spaces still full. For vendors with inventory spread across multiple locations around the country, the logistics are especially difficult.
"A lot of these vendors are in several locations across the country," Perrotta said. "Some vendors from St. Louis might be in the Kansas City locations or the Chicago locations, so they have to figure out how they're doing this."
The closure wasn't entirely without warning. Perrotta said payment problems began emerging last fall when the company botched a transition to direct deposit, missing payments heading into the holidays. A new CEO came on board and vendors thought the worst was behind them.
"We thought maybe there was a little bit of hope they could turn things around, and then yes, we got the email yesterday, late morning about all the locations closing nationwide," Perrotta said. "So it was quite a shock, but not a complete surprise."
Some vendors are owed hundreds of dollars. Others more. Perrotta wonders if she'll get the $700 she's owed for sales made so far this month. She's not optimistic.
"I don't know if they'll see any of that money," she said. "I don't think they will."
Von Till said a $600 billing discrepancy dating back to Christmas was ultimately resolved, but she remains in contact with vendors who are still waiting.
Beyond the financial hit, she says the loss cuts deeper. The Painted Tree model gave small creators a physical storefront without the burden of running one day to day — something increasingly hard to replicate in an environment dominated by social media algorithms and online platforms.
"It's really difficult in this world of technology to have a small business when you're up against YouTube and TikTok and you have to be all of those things now to really get people's attention," Von Till said. "I guess I'm really gonna have to learn how to sell online to keep up with the loss of the store."
Perrotta echoed that, adding an appeal to St. Louisans: "Support local, shop small. Having a small business is hard, but I love having it. Just support local whenever possible."
