12.3K
BOAbout a year ago, I walked into my local Painted Tree with a few boxes, big dreams, and honestly… a little bit of butterflies. Opening a booth there was never about the income — it was about being present in my community. About seeing my little keepsakes in a real space, meeting people face to face, and being part of something that felt alive and local and special.
Yesterday, I got the news that Painted Tree is closing — all locations, nationwide, effective immediately. And while I’m okay, and while this wasn’t a major part of my business, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t sting.
But what broke my heart the most wasn’t my own booth. It was the vendors I saw yesterday — loading up their cars, taking down their carefully curated spaces, wrapping up the displays they’d poured themselves into. For some of them, this was their dream. And I watched that dream get packed into boxes with very little warning, and I just… felt it.
Being a small business owner is one of the most rewarding and humbling things I’ve ever done. It’s also one of the hardest. There are wins you celebrate quietly and losses that hit you out of nowhere. But what I’ve learned — what I keep learning — is that our dreams don’t live in a storefront. They live in us. And every single vendor who walked out of Painted Tree yesterday still has everything it takes to build something beautiful again.
To my fellow makers and small shop owners: I see you. Keep going. 🤍
#PaintedTree #ShopSmall #SmallBusinessOwner #TheWoodlands #boutiquebutterlu
@boutiquebutterlu
