Hundreds of small-business owners who lost their booth space when Painted Tree Boutiques filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in April are getting a second chance at a familiar address.
The Collective Boutique opened Thursday at the former Painted Tree location in Harper's Station on Montgomery Road in Deerfield Township.
The venture is vendor-owned. A group of displaced sellers purchased 12 former Painted Tree sites nationwide and launched The Collective Boutique as a shared, flea market-style shopping experience where small-business owners rent booth space. A grand opening is scheduled for Saturday, August 29.
Audrey Allen, a Deerfield Township-area boutique owner and one of the organizers, said the speed of the turnaround was born of necessity.
"We're opening locations in record time because we have to," Allen told Fox 19.
Allen said she felt fear and hurt when Painted Tree abruptly shut its more than 60 stores on April 14, giving vendors just 10 days to retrieve their inventory. She described the new chapter as more stable than anything the previous concept offered.
Among the returning vendors is Jakob Jordan, owner of Cards by Jakob, a greeting card and art business. Jordan, who has apraxia and autism and communicates with the help of an iPad, operated two Painted Tree locations before the chain folded. His booth at the Deerfield Township site was damaged by vandals during the months between Painted Tree's closure and the new store's preparation, requiring repairs before opening day.
On the Cards by Jakob Facebook page, which has drawn between 8,900 and 43,900 views on recent posts about the comeback, Jordan's family shared their reaction:
@HomeWithAutism: "In April, all Painted Tree locations abruptly closed, and we were given 10 days to get out. Jakob had two stores that he dearly loved and took great pride in. And in a flash, they were gone."
Jordan's mother, Jen Jordan, who co-manages the business, said many vendors never reopened after the chain shut down. She called The Collective Boutique a second chance for those who took huge hits.
Painted Tree, an Arkansas-originated retail chain, blamed rising costs, shifting market conditions and changes in consumer shopping behavior for its closure.
Vendor booth spaces are still available at The Collective Boutique's Deerfield Township location.
What's next
- Thursday, July 30 — The Collective Boutique soft opening, Harper's Station on Montgomery Road, Deerfield Township
- Saturday, August 29 — Grand opening
