What used to be a Bed Bath & Beyond in the Dulles Landing shopping center now houses dozens of tiny, locally-owned boutiques, with more on the way.
Started in Arkansas in 2015, the Dulles, Virginia, location, which opened this month, is the first Painted Tree Boutiques store in Northern Virginia. A second Loudoun County location, in Sterling, will soon open.
“We like to say it’s the big way to shop small,” said Caylie Barnett, creative director at Painted Tree Marketplace, standing in front of a vendor’s booth, artfully displayed with handmade crafts.
Potential vendors can choose to establish their tiny shops in a variety of sizes, ranging from 6-by-10 feet to 10-by-15 feet. Painted Tree provides the leased space and freshly painted walls.
“We have a handful of very neutral, subtle colors, that are used in all of our spaces,” Barnett said. “So, you have a really nice blank canvas, complete with outlets.”
From there, vendors decorate their own boutique, with guidance and options provided by Painted Tree.
“You’re really able to start your dream shop without the risk and the stress that can often come along with opening your own brick and mortar,” Barnett said.
Many artists aren’t in a position to give up their day jobs to display and try to sell their gifts, decor, fashion, art, jewelry or candles.
“You don’t have to be here all day,” Barnett said. “As the shop owner, you get to determine your own pricing, with your own little description on the paper tag of every single item in your space.”
Similar to an antiques mall, shoppers can browse through several small businesses, all in one place.
“If they see something they like, they can put it in their cart, and at the end, they bring it all to the checkout at the front,” said Barnett, pointing to the cashiers who ring up the purchases based on bar codes placed on each item by the vendor.
Setting up her space under a sign labeled Focal Point and pricing her polymer clay home decor, vendor Shelley Miller said she is “really excited.”
Until now, she had been displaying her work at weekend shows, fairs and galleries.
“This is just so much easier,” Miller said. “I have my stuff in one space. I don’t have to drag my stuff to a show every weekend.”
Walking slowly through the boutique spaces with a friend, one woman said she prefers to shop small.
“Especially if you’re looking for that one special housewarming or hostess gift,” she said. “If you bring something (from here) they’re not going to see it somewhere else, because it’s made by an individual artist, for the most part.”
Artists and vendors who want to learn more about leasing a space at Painted Tree Boutiques can get more information online.
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