NORTHGLENN, Colo. — Painted Tree Boutiques abruptly closed all of its more than 60 locations nationwide on April 13, leaving thousands of small business owners scrambling to retrieve their merchandise and find a path forward with little warning and no clear explanation.
The retail chain, which billed itself as a “shop small” destination and housed hundreds of independent vendors under one roof, confirmed it had permanently ceased all operations. Vendors were given a 10-day window to remove their inventory from store locations across the country.
In Colorado, the closure hit vendors at the Northglenn location particularly hard. Kristina Camacho, the owner of Bombitas Spice Bombs, said she learned of the shutdown the same way thousands of other vendors did: through an email…