A now-closed Richland floral shop that was a flashpoint in a discrimination lawsuit for a previous owner’s refusal to provide flowers to a gay couple recently declared bankruptcy and counts that former owner among its creditors.

Arlene’s Flowers & Gifts LLC, which closed March 31, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in early September in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of Eastern Washington, according to court documents. The application is being pursued by Kim Solheim, who bought the floral shop from Barronelle Stutzman in mid-2022. She is being represented by Gravis Law.

In 2023 and 2024, Solheim listed gross revenues of $612,168 and $564,916, respectively. In 2025 the floral shop had $131,406 in gross revenue. Solheim listed assets of just above $100,000, most of it unsold merchandise, office equipment and two delivery vehicles.

The floral shop’s liabilities were estimated at about $286,000 with about $135,000 of those liabilities owed to creditors for loans. The business also has more than $50,000 in back taxes owed to the Internal Revenue Service and state of Washington and owes more than $28,000 to Stutzman Management, owned by Stutzman, for unpaid rent at the shop’s Lee Boulevard location.

If approved by the bankruptcy court, Solheim’s application will result in Arlene’s assets being liquidated to pay creditors and discharge any debt.

Arlene’s made national headlines when Stutzman refused to provide flowers for the wedding of Tri-City residents Curt Freed and Robert Ingersoll, longtime customers of the shop. The couple sued with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union, saying she violated the state’s anti-discrimination laws. 

Stutzman was defended by Alliance Defending Freedom, arguing that her right to religious liberty permitted her to decline to serve Freed and Ingersoll. In the end, she was twice found by the Washington Supreme Court to have violated anti-discrimination laws, first on appeal from Benton County Superior Court and again on remand by the U.S. Supreme Court. 

Stutzman eventually settled the lawsuits in late 2021, paying $5,000 to the couple. 

Solheim, who previously worked for Stutzman, made the flower shop inclusive, selling rainbow-themed arrangements during Pride Month in June and saying it was a safe space for all. 

Solheim closed the flower shop in March.