04/17/2026
And just like that, my Painted Tree Boutiques venture comes to an end, as quickly as it began. I am heartbroken right now. Painted Tree declared bankruptcy on Tuesday morning and closed their doors immediately. Vendors have until April 24th to remove their inventory. Wednesday evening, I packed up my space in Lincoln. And after almost no sleep Wednesday night, I drove to KC on Thursday morning and packed up my space in Barrywoods. The shock is slowly starting to wear off and be replaced with tears and anger. The thing that really gets me is, I am feeling this after just a short time as a vendor. I only got my first space in February. And this is not my primary business model. I have events booked out through most of this year so I know my business will continue. But for other Painted Tree vendors, this was their livelihood. Their spaces had been established for a long time and this is how they sell their products. My heart breaks for them and for the wonderful, supportive employees who were always so helpful. People believed in this place. And now it is no more.
While I feel crushed over this, I am trying to embrace the positives, and on the positive side:
1. I learned a lot about setting up a permanent space,
2. I now have some really cool made-by-me displays that I can use at my up-coming vendor shows,
3. I have enough extra inventory now that I should be good for a while, and
4. I know when push comes to shove, I can hustle like there's no tomorrow to reach my goals.
I have 2 shows coming up in the next few weeks. You can come see me and a bunch of other amazing vendors at Magic in Bloom on April 25th in Lincoln and at the I Love Growth and Plants Markets on May 2nd in Omaha! I am looking forward to seeing everyone soon. Seeing you all in person is what keeps me lit up.
One last thing...having experienced this loss of the Painted Tree locations reminds me of how much I appreciate each and every person who has a hand in organizing the amazing local events. These events take a lot of hard work and commitment to organize. Us vendors wouldn't have spaces to go to if it wasn't for y'all (and you know who you are). Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication to this community. I feel very lucky to be a part of it.
Painted Tree Boutiques, a chain of stores that leased space to small vendors, has abruptly closed all of its more than 60 locations in the U.S. DETAILS ⬇️
