Elle Crée, a local creator of paint-by-number kits, is closing its Milwaukie warehouse and production site and holding a final clearance sale this Saturday.
“We’re downsizing, we’re pausing wholesale, we’re laying off staff, and we’re going to be available for online retail only,” owner Rachel Austen said. “I’m going to move production to my home studio, which unfortunately means I have to lay off my staff and close this workshop as it exists.”
Elle Crée, which means “she creates” in French, began in 2016 out of Austen’s home studio. The business saw an explosion in popularity during the pandemic, when people had plenty of free time to pursue at-home crafts…