This story has been updated. Please see editor’s note below.
While some trees won a battle to stay in town, another is leaving sooner than expected. Malibu’s Artifac Tree will open and close its gates for the last time on Saturday, July 25 at 4 p.m. until sunset, where everything on site must go and what’s left behind will be donated to charities.
“It is true; we’re closing to the public on Saturday and we’re going to start donating to the other charities to be able to downsize to get into a smaller space,” Artifac Tree manager Martha Templeton said.
An initial eviction notice was served by the Mariposa Land Company to the Artifac Tree on June 16, 2015, stating the business had 60 days to vacate the premise, with all remaining items left on the site after August 16 to remain with the land.
“We have a deadline,” Templeton said. “We can’t sell anything after this Saturday. We need donations to move forward, to continue to be the Tree.”
Confidential terms of the eviction notice have not been made public, but Templeton alluded to amicable discussions between the Aritfac Tree Board of Directors and the Mariposa Land Company.
“We are working on a possible site,” Burt Ross, spokesperson for the Artifac Tree Board of Directors, told The Malibu Times. “It is our goal to remain in Malibu. If we can’t find a site in Malibu, I’m not sure what will happen.”
Residents have visited, shopped, supported and donated items to the Artifac Tree for more than 40 years. In addition to the support received by the Artifac Tree, Templeton and her team have contributed countless dollars and hours to supporting the community in any way possible.
Templeton, a 2012 Malibu Times Dolphin Award-winner, has provided employment opportunities, clothing and funds to the homeless, families displaced by natural disasters, and mentally handicapped men and women, as well as spending thousands of dollars providing medical attention to animals in need and donating countless items to local organizations.
Once the eviction notice began circulating, residents actively began campaigning to keep the Tree alive and running. An online petition has received more than 500 signatures and a fundraising drive garnered more than $600 in the few days since the fundraising website went live.
While online fundraising continues to grow and help Templeton find a new location for the thrift store turned humanitarian network, a $5,000 donation was made to help relocation efforts on behalf of Whole Foods and the Park and developer Steve Soboroff.
“I think that it’s a great resource for Malibu and I hope they find a new location,” Soboroff said. “When they do, I know how expensive it is to move and get everything going. The Whole Foods and the Park is going to make a contribution of $5,000 toward the relocation, and I hope that other people in the community do the same.”
Soboroff agreed with many residents that the Tree is “a great and viable” part of Malibu.
“I want them to consider me an advisor and a friend, and our project wants to help them relocate,” Soboroff said.
Locations for a new Artifac Tree are still being scouted around town, with hope that the Tree can stay a local community haven.
“Beyond reasonable doubt, [after Saturday] the Artifac Tree as we know it will not continue,” Ross said. “The attorneys representing the Artifac Tree have been in touch with the landlord and we are making progress.”
Ross continued, “It’s our hope that Artifact stays in existence and it is our hope that it stays in Malibu.”
Representatives from the Mariposa Land Company had “no comment” regarding the Artifac Tree’s closing.
“It’s the heart of Malibu,” Soboroff said. “It represents the heart and soul of the people who care, and who the people of Malibu are. It is Malibu.”
Editor’s note: a previous version of this story incorrectly stated Burt Ross’s relation to the Artifac Tree.