Two weeks after abruptly closing and then reopening, a Maine artisan store is once again closed.
Maine Micro Artisans, which allowed around 260 Maine makers to sell their art, food and other items, originally closed Nov. 11 before announcing two days later that the stores would actually reopen.
But as of last Saturday, its two storefronts, one in Bangor and one in Portland, were permanently closed, owner Mary Plummer wrote on the company’s Facebook page. The page name has since been changed to “A Handmade Life.”
This is the latest development following weeks of turbulence for the company and the local artists it serves, including numerous vendors who removed their products from the stores. Maine Micro Artisans owes more than $60,000 in payments to vendors, outstanding invoices and back rent for its stores in Bangor and Portland, Plummer previously said.
New resources from an undisclosed source allowed Plummer to reopen the first time, but she decided to close again because the company’s transparency was “twisted by the media” and there was a “group of bullies” targeting her, according to her statement on Facebook.
Plummer previously said that she hoped to pay the money owed to vendors by Christmas, but that she wasn’t sure she would be able to.
With the second closure, payments to vendors will be long delayed because Plummer and her husband intend to file for bankruptcy, the new statement on Facebook said. Plummer previously told the Bangor Daily News she would file for bankruptcy following the first closure but did not. No bankruptcy filings were listed in federal court records as of midday Monday.
Vendors who were not paid previously encouraged people to not shop at Maine Micro Artisans because of the way they were treated, including contracts being canceled after vendors asked about payments and bounced checks, according to multiple social media posts.
In Plummer’s Facebook statement, she said that the backlash from vendors was part of the reason the store had to close again.
