This time last year, we at Lex and Gray as well as about 180 other small businesses were moving into the Painted Tree Crestview location for the very first time. It was a wild journey to say the least. Coming off of almost 3 years of exclusively selling online and at pop ups, we had no clue what was in store for us. The concept of Painted Tree Boutiques was something that we absolutely loved and really wanted to be a part of. With the opening of the Painted Tree Cincinnati, we were able to walk around the store and experience it firsthand. Immediately we were in love. A place under one roof where tons of our small business friends and new to us vendors were coming together to create a one-of-a-kind store for their community. We added ourselves to the Cincinnati waitlist and kept our fingers crossed for an opening. A few months later we hear through the rumor mill that Painted Tree is taking over the old Bed Bath and Beyond store in Crestview Hills. Which happens to be about a 20-minute drive from Courtney's house. It also happened to be the first location to open in Kentucky. With us having such a strong tie to the state we knew it was meant to be. We signed our names on the dotted line and that was that.
(1) Top Left: Booth C3 at Painted Tree Crestview Hills being painted. (2) Bottom Left: Booth C3 getting fixtures and the mirror hung which will later become the iconic Crestview Mirror Ball Wall. (3) Right: The first official announcement on social media of Lexington and Gray opening at Painted Tree.
Everyone was so excited for the new location to open. The small business owners created Facebook groups as a place where we can inspire each other and ask all the questions as we were all in the similar situation. Opening a new location just weeks after the biggest season of the year in the retail industy. The Holidays.
We were given plenty of time to prepare our space however, time to a small business owner during the fourth quarter of the year, always comes in short supply. As I mentioned there are over 180 spaces at Painted Tree Crestview and every single space was accounted for. Can you image over 180 businesses doing construction of their spaces at the same time PLUS having Painted Tree itself finishing up the construction on the overall store. ON Top Of that, were all exhausted from the busy holiday season we were in the middle of at the time. It. Was. Chaos.
However, I will say, the time we spent as a unit trying to get Crestview Hills ready for its Grand Opening allowed us bond and strengthen our small business community. Alot of the businesses in the Crestview Location are local to the Northern Kentucky area however there were still quite a few who traveled from out of state to set up their space. The business owners of Crestview worked tirelessly together so that by the time door were opened every single one of us was proud of not only our own spaces, but the store as a whole. We have the upmost respect for one another and pride ourselves in being a community not competitors
If you ever get the opportunity to shop at Painted Tree Crestview Hills, or any Painted Tree Location, we highly recommend it. A one-stop shop for you to support the local small businesses in your community. Alot of hard work goes into these locations to create a shopping experience you will never forget.
Happy Shopping Yall.