After 37 years of business, The Tree House Children’s Consignment store in Redmond is closing its doors for good.
The closure comes as co-owners Sue Swanson and Jeanne Bolton are retiring.
At 73, Swanson said both she and Bolton, who is about five years younger, are on Social Security and it is time for them to move on from this stage of their lives.
The store’s last day of business will be June 18.
The two started Tree House after their youngest kids entered school full time. Swanson and Bolton, who were neighbors at the time, were looking to return to work. Prior to starting their families, Swanson had been a teacher and Bolton a receptionist for Boeing. Those positions were no longer available and neither of the women wanted to return to their respective jobs.
“Neither of us wanted to work full time,” Swanson said.
Opening their own business worked, she said, because they could work alternating shifts and cover for each other if they were sick or went on vacation.
The idea for a consignment shop came one day while the two had gone shopping for their kids and came across a consignment shop in Bellevue. Swanson said they thought this was something they could do as well and began driving around Redmond looking for space. They came across a storefront that was subletting for six months.
“What can we lose?” Swanson said about their thoughts at the time.
So Tree House opened in downtown Redmond in the space where the British Pantry is now. Swanson and Bolton scoured garage sales looking for children’s clothes. Swanson looks back on those early days fondly as she and Bolton would call each other to figure out which areas and neighborhoods they would cover and shop.
They stayed at their first location for about two years before they outgrew the space and moved to their current location at 15742 Redmond Way.
“It seemed like a huge space,” Swanson said.
But after 10-15 years, the space soon became crowded as more and more people began bringing in their things for consignment and Tree House had to limit how much people could consign.
Having been open since 1979, Tree House has served multiple generations.
Long-time customer Terri Gordon can attest to this.
The Kenmore resident, formerly from Redmond, said her grandmother began shopping at Tree House for Gordon’s children in 1983 and now Gordon shops there for her grandchildren. Gordon said Tree House was a good way to liquidate items from home and have them find new homes.
Gordon learned about Tree House’s closing a few weeks ago and described it as the end of an era.
“It was sad,” she said about the news.
These long-time relationships are important to Swanson and Bolton and what they will miss most upon retiring.
“All the wonderful families and employees we have grown to know and love throughout the 37 years,” Bolton said.
Swanson said in many cases, their employees would start out as customers who were familiar with the consignment process. Things just evolved organically. At one point, they had about 15 employees, she said.
Sometimes the employees were family.
“My mother-in-law who is turning 103 in July was instrumental in helping us get started,” Bolton said. “She worked there until she was 99 years old.”
She said she received support from the rest of her family as well as her children and five grandchildren always loved her and Swanson having the store.
“I am so happy that Sue and I started and ended the business together,” Bolton said. “Not many partnerships last this long and still remain great friends.”
Swanson added that over the years, “it was fun to see the kids growing up.” She said it even got to the point where the children whose parents would buy clothes for them when Tree House first opened were now grown up and shopping at the store for their children.
In addition to moving on in their lives, Swanson said another reason they are retiring is because with shops like Target and Kohl’s in town, it is no longer economically feasible for them to stay open. She said people can buy children’s clothes at relatively affordable prices. And while the cost of kids clothes has gone down, the cost of rent, utilities, labor and other expenses that come with running a business have gone up.
With retirement quickly approaching, Swanson said she has a grandchild she would like to spend more time with, while Bolton said she is looking forward to traveling and taking classes to bring her up on the latest technology.
Tree House’s upcoming schedule:
• May 20
Last day accepting consignments.
• June 13-17
Everything in store 50 percent off. Consignors will still receive credit for the sale, but at a reduced amount. Consignors may also pick up any of their items prior to this date if they want them back before the reduction.
• June 18
Closing party from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to celebrate the store’s years in the community. Consignors may also collect their money at this time.
• June 20-24
No sales, but the store will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to make payouts. Consignors may also provide a self-addressed, stamped envelope anytime during these couple of months and Tree House will mail them what they are owed at the end of June. Swanson and Bolton will also make every effort to contact anyone who is still owed money.
Swanson added that they will also open a P.O. Box, which will be listed on their website (treehouseredmond.com). People will be able to contact them that way to get the money they are owed, as well.
