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A popular children’s boutique has closed its locations in Cary, Raleigh and Burlington, leaving former employees, customers, and vendors questioning whether they will get the money they say they are owed.
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The stores operated under the name Littles and are owned by Christine Wells.
Olivia Richmond, a former employee of Littles of Burlington, said she helped Wells get the Burlington store open and continued working there after it opened. Richmond said she received her first paycheck but never received her second.
She told ABC11 Troubleshooter Diane Wilson she is owed about $1,000. Richmond said Wells initially blamed technical problems for the delay in payment.
“In the beginning was promising payment and would give excuses that it was due to technical issues, but the payment wasn’t being processed,” Richmond said. According to Richmond, Wells eventually stopped responding to her messages.
Richmond also said she witnessed other people seeking payment from the business.
“People were coming in, like the contractor and the guy for the wallpaper. Someone who washed the windows,” Richmond said.
“It was just again and again and again. No one was being paid for the work that they had done.”
Ashton Choros said she ordered a hard-to-find Maileg dollhouse from Littles of Cary and paid $375 by credit card. Choros said she never received the dollhouse.
“I used my credit card. I paid for the mouse house and never received it,” she said.
Choros said Wells initially blamed Maileg representatives for not sending the item, but continued telling her that it was being shipped. Texts reviewed by Wilson show Wells later told Choros she had issued a refund. Choros said she checked her bank statements and found no refund.
“She said she refunded me and she never refunded me,” Choros said. Choros disputed the charge with her credit card company. She said she wants other customers to be cautious.
“We love to support small businesses. But there are some bad apples out there,” Choros said.
She added that she wants to make sure no one else has a similar experience. “Just want to make sure that no one else falls victim to Christine.”
Wilson also spoke with a baby clothing vendor in Las Vegas who said Littles received approximately $2,500 worth of merchandise but the vendor was not paid.
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The vendor provided emails from Wells stating that payment had been sent. The vendor told ABC11 the payment was not received.
Another children’s clothing company based in California sued Wells and Littles of Cary, alleging the business owed more than $188,000 for unpaid merchandise.
According to court records, a judge last month entered a default judgment against Littles of Cary and Wells for $184,242.23 in damages, plus interest. Court records show Wells had until last week to respond. The records reviewed by ABC11 Troubleshooter do not show a response had been filed by that deadline.
A contractor who worked with Littles of Raleigh also obtained a default judgment involving the business for more than $30,000, according to court records. The judgment is among the financial disputes involving the Littles businesses.
Wilson reached out to Wells by text message about the complaints. She responded that she wanted the opportunity to provide her side and accurate information.
“Absolutely want the opportunity to provide my side and accurate information regarding the matters you referenced,” Wells wrote. Wells said some of the issues involved ongoing legal matters and that she was consulting with an attorney before providing a substantive response.
Troubleshooter gave Wells a deadline to respond, which she confirmed. Wilson followed up with her after the deadline and did not receive additional information.
The North Carolina Attorney General’s Office told Wilson it has received three complaints involving Wells and her Littles stores.
The agency said it is looking into the complaints and encouraged customers who have an issue with Littles of NC to file a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office.
According to business records, Wells has also formed a Littles of Kiawah LLC in South Carolina. ABC11 could not confirm that a store has opened under that name.
The Cary, Raleigh, and Burlington Littles locations are currently closed.
Anyone who believes they have an unresolved issue with the business can contact the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office to file a consumer complaint.
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