After 14 years, retailer Tigertree will say goodbye to its brick-and-mortar presence in the Short North. However, it’s not the end of the brand.
“Tigertree…was built intentionally for a lot of people to come in every day and spend a considerable amount of time discovering things,” said Co-Founder Josh Quinn in a statement. “What we’ve found over the past few weeks of being reopened, it doesn’t really work any other way.”
During the coronavirus pandemic, Tigertree, 787 N. High St., closed its storefront and focused on online sales. The shop only recently reopened on Wednesday, June 24 with guidelines in place like requiring masks, encouraging appointments and limiting the number of customers in the store at any one time.
Quinn said the decision to close the store did go beyond the pandemic’s immediate impact.
“The last few years have hosted a number of challenges that have lead me to reflect on what I’ve been missing,” Quinn said. “I look at my almost six year old and recognize large chunks of the most magical moments of her life I missed so I could go to meetings and yell about bagged parking meters, blocked sidewalks or permits.”
Tigertree has been in its current location for the past decade, seeing the neighborhood usher in a number of significant changes, from streetscape improvements to the rollout of the Short North parking plan.
For the next phase of its business, Tigertree will focus solely on e-commerce and make some changes to its product lineup.
“We’re ready for a new challenge, one that does involve having a center and a focus. We are going to be the best gift store on the internet,” Quinn said. “While our passions have allowed us to explore various interests through our wide array of products, what we’re best at, and what we’re primarily known for, is connecting people with unique and interesting gifts. We love finding cool stuff that excites us and getting you excited about it too.”
Starting today, Thursday, July 16, Tigertree will begin liquidating all of its apparel with sales. Quinn recommends booking an appointment to visit the store here.
As the store begins to transition to online only, Tigertree will continue to add new new gift brands and items.
Quinn does see a return to brick-and-mortar in Tigertree’s future.
“We will be reopening a brick-and-mortar shop in the future,” he said, adding that would mean the return of apparel. “The fact that the bulk our revenue will continue to be generated online at that point will allow us to create an even more amazing experience than you’ve been accustomed to in the past.”
Tigertree does not have a set date that the store will close, but Quinn estimates some time in the next one to two months.
“Despite how painful this is, I am excited to tackle the challenge of nailing our online presence and am confident we’ll reemerge to the brick and mortar world stronger than ever,” Quinn said.
In his statement, Quinn also included a plea to wear masks, or other local stores could end up in a similar fate.
“We should not be in this mess,” he said. “If you don’t want to lose more places like Tigertree please wear a mask and make sure everyone around you is wearing one too. Consider whether the establishments you are supporting are making this situation better or worse.”
Kids store offshoot Cub Shrub will remain open in Grandview at 1257 Grandview Ave.
For more information, visit shoptigertree.com.