When businesses owners and artists first contacted KSPR News, the company’s doors were closed. Shortly after KSPR News’ first story aired the owner covered the windows with cardboard and shut the business down. “I think all of us felt taken. We had been taken for a ride,” artist Samantha Barsky said. “We were extremely frustrated.” Barsky sent inventory to the owners of Queen City Emporium. The company was supposed to sell items for Barsky and share some of the profit. Barsky says that never happened.
According to the Missouri Attorney General’s Office as early as March 1, 2010, The Queen City Emporium and former president Jayne E. Wilson operated a retail store selling handmade items such as jewelry, clothing, food items, healthcare products, and art work. The Queen City Emporium used internet sites to solicit sellers to enter into agreements to sell their merchandise on a consignment basis. According to Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster, The Queen City Emporium and Wilson violated Missouri law in multiple ways, including: failing to deliver monthly statements to consignors, as promised, failing to make payments to consignors after the sale of their merchandise and failing to return the consignor’s unsold items.
Frustrated artists took to social media to let the world know they weren't happy with Queen City Emporium. They created blogs, Facebook pages and websites warning about doing business with the company. “I think it’s sad that someone would take advantage of small businesses,” Nanette Baldwin said. She agreed to allow the company to sell some of her dresses and “epatterns.” She says after the Missouri Attorney General’s office seized her items, she finally got them returned. “We have a total of six complaints against Queen City Emporium,” Better Business Bureau Director of Community Outreach Cara Erwin said. “It looks like five of them are related to this issue of them shutting down and not returning the merchandise or returning their products.”
Dozens of artists say they tried and failed to get their inventory back for months. “They never did contact me,” Baldwin said. “I kept contacting them, contacting them and eventually I was told I would be contacted by their attorney.” The Better Business Bureau contacted the company to give them an opportunity to respond to consumer complaints. “In this case we got the same automated response that vendors did which was that we would be contacted by their attorney,” Erwin said.
The growing group of frustrated business owners decided to band together to create a spread sheet documenting what they say Queen City Emporium owed them. “I think the final tally was about $40,000,” Barsky said. “If you are going to scam somebody, why scam a handmade artist?” The group sent their complaints to the Missouri Attorney General’s Office. “I'm really happy to hear they are still following through and they are not letting us down,” Barsky said. “We’re the little guy here.”
A spokesperson for the Missouri Attorney General’s Office says they received 86 consumer complaints. “However our investigation has uncovered approximately 200 consignors that fall within the allegations we’ve made in the lawsuit,” the spokesperson said.
Missouri Attorney General’s Office News Release: Attorney General Chris Koster today filed a lawsuit in Greene County Circuit Court against a defunct Springfield company, scrapscrap, inc., doing business as The Queen City Emporium, and its former president, Jayne E. Wilson, for multiple violations of Missouri’s consumer protection laws.
As early as March 1, 2010, The Queen City Emporium and former president Jayne E. Wilson operated a retail store selling handmade items such as jewelry, clothing, food items, healthcare products, and art work. To obtain the merchandise, The Queen City Emporium examined internet sites through which sellers sold merchandise and solicited sellers to enter into agreements for The Queen City Emporium to sell their merchandise on a consignment basis. According to Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster, The Queen City Emporium and Wilson allegedly violated Missouri law in multiple ways, including: failing to deliver monthly statements to consignors, as promised, failing to make payments to consignors after the sale of their merchandise and failing to return the consignor’s unsold items.
Koster is seeking full restitution for those harmed by Wilson and the company, as well as civil penalties and investigative costs. He also is seeking a permanent injunction prohibiting Wilson and the company from selling merchandise on consignment and from violating Missouri’s consumer protection laws.
