KSHB 41 reporter Claire Bradshaw covers eastern Jackson County, including Blue Springs and Grain Valley. Share your story idea with Claire.
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Hundreds of small businesses and vendors nationwide were shocked last week when The Painted Tree suddenly closed all of its locations, including stores in Overland Park and the Northland.
The abrupt closures left vendors with extra inventory and questions about how to replace lost revenue.
Sarah Orozco, owner of The Sunflower Market, had products in 17 Painted Tree locations across the country.
"I would say it was probably 80, 85% of our yearly income," Orozco said. "It's not all here yet, but we're lucky that we're at least gonna get our shirts and our inventory back, but our complete build outs and everything are a loss. It's all gone."
Nicole Fowler, owner of Fowlen Collection, also lost a significant portion of her sales.
"A third, a third of my income," Fowler said. "It was a very stressful 48 hours and trying to figure out a balance between where do we go next, and being really methodical with that, but also understanding that time is of the essence, and getting our spring stuff moved."
Fowler noted the community's concern for the displaced small businesses.
"Everybody has been really supportive and asking us, you know, where, where are the vendors going to go?" Fowler said.
The owners of Queen Bee Boutique called KSHB 41 News Reporter Claire Bradshaw to highlight the next steps for displaced vendors. The boutique operates with a similar concept to The Painted Tree, providing spaces for small businesses to sell their creations.
When the news broke last week, owners Casie and David Bateman felt they had to do something and immediately started clearing out space to make room for more vendors.
"So far we've welcomed in, I want to say probably like 10 vendors. We're really carving out every little space that we can find, moving things around, like where we had normally had, like a photo op, like we just took all of that out," Casie Bateman said.
Queen Bee Boutique is not alone in its efforts. Other local businesses, including EB and Co., have also offered support to those affected by the closures. Owner Emily Bordner posted on social media saying through the month of May, vendors can take up space in one of her metro locations.
While Fowler and Orozco already had spaces at Queen Bee Boutique, they emphasized that vendors need community support now more than ever.
"Just be here for us, even if it's sharing our posts on social media, commenting on our posts. You don't have to spend a dime to do any of it," Orozco said.
"Small businesses are really what sets a neat community apart from one that's kind of basic. Small businesses are what brings character to your community. So we really need folks to support that so we can keep that vibe going," Casie Bateman said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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