07/29/2022
Hello Everyone.
We would like to take a moment to address the current situation regarding Smilies.
First, we would like to clarify who is Smilies. Yes, there is a connection between the ownership of Bordentown and Columbus locations. The owner of the Bordentown location is now a partner in Columbus along with other majority partners. The majority partners are responsible for the construction and expenses required to get the Columbus location open, but were never involved in the Bordentown operation. However, the entire ownership group understands that the unfortunate closing in Bordentown affected a number of people and will of course do what it takes to make things right.
Second, all employees will be paid what they are owed. The majority partners in Columbus have no obligation to do so, but will pay in full all outstanding payroll to any employee that did not get paid in Bordentown. If you are owed payroll from Bordentown, and have not already been contacted, please visit the Columbus location and ask to speak with one of the owners who will square away any outstanding Bordentown payroll debt. We value our staff and never want anyone to feel they we did not take good care of them.
Lastly, the closure of the Bordentown location was a difficult one. Ultimately, the pandemic, supply chain issues, parking in town and most recently soaring prices were too much to overcome. All of these factors made it very difficult to operate a profitable business. The business was operating in the negative, but payroll was never missed. The new partners in Columbus assessed the situation and tried to offer suggestions to make it work, but in the end it just wasn’t feasible to keep the store open.
While we understand that folks are disappointed with this decision, we hope this offers some insight into this difficult situation and want everyone to understand that we will do right by our employees and will continue to do so.
