MANDEVILLE, La. – A “paint and sip” company with local roots announced this week that it has purchased two other businesses as part of its quest to grow its national footprint.
In 2007, Cathy Deano and Renee Maloney founded the company that would eventually be known as Painting With a Twist when they hosted their first “Corks & Canvas” art class on the Northshore. Over the next 13 years, the company has grown to include more than 300 national franchise locations in nearly 40 states. On average, franchisees invest about $100,000 on fees, rent, staff and marketing to get started – although the franchise fees alone in this category are lower than many others.
In 2018, the company hired Joe Lewis to be its first CEO. Lewis is the former vice president and general counsel at Smoothie King Franchises Inc.
Now, parent company Twist Brands LLC announced it has acquired Color Me Mine, a paint-your-own pottery company, and Chesapeake Ceramics, a global ceramics supplier.
Color Me Mine, which has 140 units, will operate as a separate brand and will continue to focus on ceramics and paint-your-own pottery with help from the Painting with a Twist team.
Chesapeake Ceramics, meanwhile, will continue to supply paint-your-own-pottery studios, ceramics products dealerships and school art programs. It has distribution centers in Fresno, Calif., and Baltimore, where it has operated for more than 40 years.
“Twist Brands establishes a platform for sustainable growth for Painting with a Twist and Color Me Mine, both leaders in their respective categories,” said Lewis in a press release. “With the inclusion of Chesapeake Ceramics, we are in a position to strengthen our supply chain. Our primary objective in building this platform is to enhance our ability to provide best-in-class support to our franchise owners so they can achieve their goals of success.”
Painting With a Twist’s first acquisition in the space was in 2018, when the brand acquired Chicago-based competitor Bottle & Bottega. That company’s co-founder and CEO Nancy Bigley joined Painting with a Twist’s leadership team.
In response to the COVID-19 crisis, the company has introduced at-home paint kits and virtual experiences for businesses looking for ways to keep their teams connected.
