COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — Colorado Springs vendors who sold their goods at Painted Tree are searching for new places to sell after the company closed all of its locations nationwide less than three weeks ago, filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in April.
Sunday brought a few of them across the street from the former Painted Tree location to Painting with a Twist, a locally owned business, for a pop-up selling event.
Amanda Zita was among the vendors who set up at the event.
"It was my life, it was definitely my life. That is a major adjustment," Zita said. "It turned our life upside down, that's for sure."
WATCH: News5's Noah Caplan speaks with Former Painted Tree Vendors about their struggles since the unexpected closure
Rhonda Lee, who sells pottery, also took part.
"I've been making pots since 1976," Lee said.
Neither Zita nor Lee has a permanent brick-and-mortar location to sell their goods, making temporary events like Sunday's a necessary option for now.
"You did everything you're supposed to do, you showed up, you did the work, and for what?" Zita said.
Zita and Lee, along with other vendors I've spoken with, said they have not received money from Painted Tree for April sales, including themselves.
"I'm in the hole. I figured it's a couple of thousand dollars," Lee said.
Lee had just opened her stand at Painted Tree in March, while Zita had just expanded hers when the company shut down.
"They cut it 2 weeks in, and wouldn't even pay us for that. So it adds up to well over 3,000 dollars for me. For others, it's closer to 10,000-12,000 dollars they're owed," Zita said.
Vendors say Painted Tree paid out at the end of each month after taking a 10% commission. Nearly 3 weeks after closing, that payment has not come.
Linda Mangino, representing the Eden Company and also a displaced vendor, says the community is working to find more selling opportunities for vendors, like Sunday's event.
"A lot of them, that was their only source of income," Mangino said.
"It happened literally overnight, and unfortunately, put a lot of people out of business," Mangino said.
According to Mangino, there has been discussion of opening a new, Painted Tree-style store in Colorado Springs — a space where displaced vendors could set up again.
And as for the funds, many vendors will have to file a claim with their local bankruptcy court to attempt to initiate liquidation.
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