Eleven101 Collective opens in former Painted Tree space in Clive

CLIVE, Iowa —

A new marketplace with a familiar twist is opening in Clive, bringing more than 100 local vendors back to the former Painted Tree Boutiques location.

Eleven101 Collective held a soft opening Thursday and will hold another Friday. The marketplace is operated by Knapp Properties, which retained much of Painted Tree’s former management team and staff.

The opening comes about three months after Painted Tree filed for bankruptcy in mid-April, forcing about 300 vendors to clear out their booths.

“It was devastating at first when we had to leave Painted Tree,” said Kristen Gettler, who was helping set up her son’s booth on Thursday. “It was fast.”

Gettler said she was pleased to see vendors returning to the space.

“It looks great to see everybody here today,” said Gettler.

Luanne Sellner, owner of The Next Step, sells stained glass and other handmade decorative items. She used the time away to make changes to her business.

“We kind of took the time off to reinvent ourselves and get going in a bigger and better way,” said Sellner. “It’s really nice to see a lot of the vendors are back, and some new ones are coming.”

Sellner told KCCI she is optimistic about Knapp Properties taking over the marketplace.

“I feel like Knapp has a really good grip on being able to handle it better than it was being handled before,” said Sellner. “A lot of the vendors here before weren’t getting paid or had problems with their booth.”

Chris Costa, president and CEO of Knapp Properties, said gaining vendors’ trust after their experience with Painted Tree was a priority.

“We thought trust was going to be something that was going to be important for getting these vendors back into the location,” said Costa.

In addition to the more than 100 returning vendors, Costa said Knapp Properties is reviewing more than 100 pending applications.

“I hope it fills up really fast and becomes a great place for a girls’ day out,” said Sellner.

Shoppers also welcomed the marketplace’s return.

“I had to come in here and see if it was still the same, and I love it,” said shopper Melissa Porter. “I’m so excited it’s back.”

Eleven101 Collective’s soft-opening hours are noon to 6 p.m. on Friday. Afterward, the marketplace will be open during its regular hours: from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays.

A grand-opening event is planned for later this year.