The closure of a city-supported specialty store on Main Street in Carmel has caused anger and confusion among the merchants who sold their goods there.
“I’m all for closing the store if it’s making a loss,” said Nailah Orr, who sold sweat-absorbing hair accessories and cooling towels at All Things Carmel in recent years. “The problem is how this closure was handled.”
Orr and other merchants learned of the closure through a city press release or Facebook posts in community groups. All Things Carmel was closed by the city on August 20, the same day the closure was announced.
The city did not contact the merchants to inform them of the closure or tell them how they would get their merchandise back before the store closed. Most of the merchandise at All Things Carmel was the property of the merchants. When an item was sold, the profit was split between the store and the merchants.
“There should have been a clear plan from the beginning for returning items to sellers,” Orr said. “This was incredibly disrespectful and this is not how things should operate in the city.”
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Anne Peters, who sold metal art at All Things Carmel last year, said the city’s handling of the closure caused unnecessary stress and anxiety for many local business owners.
“If I can’t sell these items at All Things Carmel, I need to be able to sell them somewhere else,” said Peters, who estimated she had about $2,600 worth of artwork in the store. “I need my art back. It’s mine and I’ve put a lot of time and money into it.”
Peters reached out to the city to get her artwork back. She and other sellers have received emails assuring them that their artwork will be returned. However, some sellers still have not heard from the city.
“Nobody called or told me how to pick up my stuff,” said Jean Belcher, who sold Christmas decorations and magnets at the store. “There’s a ‘closed’ sign on the door, so it probably wouldn’t do any good to come by.”
What does the city of Carmel say about the store closing?
General outreach to sellers began after the store closed last week, and individual outreach to ask how they can get their items back will be completed by early September, said Kelly Douglas, director of marketing and public relations for the city of Carmel.
“After initial outreach began, we began collecting and reviewing all vendor contracts,” Douglas said via email. “Reviewing the contracts, which are in paper form, is an important step among others in ceasing operations at the store.”
Sellers can email [email protected] and a staff member will schedule an appointment to return the merchandise.
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The store was operated by Promote Carmel, a nonprofit organization founded by former Mayor Jim Brainard in 2020. All Things Carmel was funded by tax revenue from the city’s general fund.
According to a press release about the store’s closure, the store needed an additional $100,000 in addition to the $200,000 allocated in last year’s city budget to keep it open through the end of 2024.
“Because of inflation and the higher cost of living, Carmel taxpayers have had to tighten their belts. It is my responsibility to do the same with our city budget,” Mayor Sue Finkam said in the release. “While the program has been a vibrant asset to the Carmel Arts & Design District, today’s fiscal climate requires that we prioritize important expenses such as police and fire personnel and street maintenance.”
Contact Jake Allen at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @Jake_Allen19.
