Painted Tree vendors still reeling from KC-area closures: ‘Invested everything’
After Painted Tree, closed its two Kansas City locations Tuesday, local shop owners are scrambling to figure out the next steps for their business
The national boutique chain’s closure meant each had to rush and pick up all their inventory this week.
“My cousins live in Lenexa, so they stopped what they were doing, left their jobs and ran up there (to Painted Tree) because the email basically said the landlord could lock the building, so we were afraid we wouldn’t be able to get any of our stuff if we didn’t go like right away,” said Amy Reik of Lottie & Lou Clothing Boutique.
Reik and her cousins, Lisa Stubenrauch and Laura Paschall, were in their third year of renting their Overland Park booth with Painted Tree. Their business, Lottie & Lou Clothing Boutique, recently opened a brick-and-mortar shop at, 252 Main St. in Platte City.
Painted Tree is a boutique that has dozens of booths rented by local sellers and artists. There are over 60 locations across the country.
The two Kansas City-area locations are in the Northland, 8201 NW Roanridge Road, and Overland Park, 8500 W. 135th St. Vendors pay rent for a space each month, and 10% of profit made from sales go to Painted Tree.
Tracey Lentfer, owner of Creativity by Tracey, which makes relaxed-fit women’s T-shirts for all Kansas City sports teams and matching onesies, said Painted Tree was essential in helping her start her business and channel her creativity.
“It is such a launching pad for testing what you’ve got, and just kind of getting a business sense,” she said. “It is the best way to dip your toe in the water and to either enjoy the success that you can have there, to grow it, to maybe adjust your business model, or to use it as a launching pad.”
In an email sent to vendors Tuesday, Painted Tree said it made the decision to close all boutiques effective immediately and will not make any more sales.
“We understand the impact this is on you and your business, and we are truly sorry,” the email said. “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.”
In a statement to The Star on Tuesday evening, Painted Tree cited rising costs, the shifting market conditions and shopping habit changes as to why they closed all their stores.
“Painted Tree was never just a store. It was a gathering place, a launchpad for dreamers, and a testament to the power of community. Thank you for being part of our story,” Painted Tree said in a statement.
Kevin Lynch, owner of Kansas City Popcorn, learned about the closure while on vacation in Dublin. There was a very short window when vendors could go and pick up their inventory.
“I immediately called my daughter, who is also a vendor at the Overland Park location, and she stepped in to help coordinate retrieving our items on such short notice,” he said in a statement to The Star on Thursday. “It was a very stressful situation, and I can’t imagine how vendors who have booths in multiple states are feeling with this news.”
Lynch said that the local staff did the best they could with the resources and authority they had. But he is disappointed with how the closure was communicated.
“More notice would have allowed vendors time to plan, run promotions, and sell through inventory instead of scrambling at the last minute,” he said in a statement.
Many vendors like Katie and Cory Alsip, who own Alsip Acres Honey, centered their business around Painted Tree. Starting bee-keeping originally as a hobby, they found they made great profit and got good exposure from opening their booth on Barry Road.
“We jumped in and within a couple of months we did really well,” Katie Alsip said, adding it was a much easier process and helped them make more money than they had at other vendor events.
After their first holiday season, the Alsips opened a booth in the Overland Park location and even talked about expanding to other Painted Trees in St. Louis and Iowa.
“We really invested everything in those two Painted Tree locations,” she said.
The Alsips, like many vendors, are still trying to figure out their next steps and are considering pop-ups and other opportunities. Since the closure, Katie Alsip said they have received more online orders than they have all year.
“It’s a really, really awful situation,” Katie Alsip said.
Other businesses around Kansas City have come forward over social media this week offering their spaces and advertising events that vendors can set up pop-ups in the meantime. One post on Instagram highlighted places including the Zona Rosa pop-up program, the Collab Boutique, Strawberry Swing and Farfalla Event Co.
Several vendors told The Star it is still unclear how they will receive the money they made this month.
