story by Janette Ballman, special to The City Wire
A new business in Fort Smith’s Pavilion shopping center is bringing opportunities for entertainment, as well as helping local charities raise money that will stay in the community.
Painting With a Twist opened June 25. Owner Seth McMurry described the business as unique to the area, offering an artistic experience as well as relaxation with adult clientele able to bring wine or beer into the establishment.
www.paintingwithatwist.com/fort-smith/
McMurry, 26, an entrepreneur who already owns two franchise establishments in Little Rock, chose Fort Smith because the area is large enough to need more entertainment opportunities, but not so large that it has too many choices.
“I have friends in the area who were always mentioning there aren’t a lot of evening entertainment places,” said McMurry. “Having a place like this gives a little flavor to the city.”
McMurry studied local demographics, including the population, the amount of smaller towns surrounding Fort Smith and the median income before deciding to bring his newest business to the city. His investment into the franchise has been more than $90,000, which includes the lease, construction inside the store, equipment, supplies and staffing.
“Fort Smith was my first choice for expansion, and everything checked out to make it a successful choice,” he said. “After looking at a few locations around town, The Pavilion was the only place I wanted to be based on car and foot traffic as well as the amount of available parking.”
CATER TO THE ‘NON-CREATIVE PUBLIC’
The studios’ concept is different from those offered at art studios, said Kimberly Wells, manager of the Fort Smith store. Art is produced by artists at Painting With A Twist stores around the country and each class features one of those paintings. There are more than 5,000 paintings in their library. Instructions are given from a stage by a local artist, who not only gives directions, but also provides humor and enthusiasm.
“We cater to the non-creative public,” said Wells. “Everyone is given a blank canvas, brushes and paints and our residents artist takes the stage with a pre-painted picture for guidance and also a blank canvas so she can give step-by-step directions. We are full of encouragement and we don’t expect perfectionism.”
Each two hour class is $35, while a one-and-a-half hour class is $25.
The studio sets aside one class each month, called “Painting With A Purpose,” for a local charity to host a painting party and profits are split between the store and the charity. McMurry said his Little Rock stores have donated thousands of dollars to local charities and he believes the Fort Smith store will do the same. The August non-profit group is the Community Dental Clinic, which will host a party on Aug. 30 from 2 to 4 p.m. It is open to the public. Wells said employees also will work in the community by being ambassadors to the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce.
NATIONAL KUDOS, ORIGINS
Painting With A Twist was named No. 1 in the Paint and Sip category by the 2015 Entrepreneur magazine annual Franchise 500 edition. This was the second year in a row the franchise has received the honor, according to their website.
The concept for Painting With a Twist began in 2007 when the two founders, Cathy Deano and Renee Maloney of Mandeville, La., decided to do something to improve morale after Hurricane Katrina struck. In 2009 they began franchising studios and since then, they have a 98 percent success rate with their now 232 stores. According to the corporation’s website, same-studio sales revenue has increased 37% from 2013 to 2014. More than $1.6 million has been donated to local charities from 2009 to June 2015.
The franchise also has a store in Bentonville and a store in Fayetteville.
“Painting With a Purpose is a unique offering,” said Wells. “Any local non-profit group can request a date and be put on our monthly calendar to host a painting party.”
The Fort Smith location will be McMurry’s first true start-up franchise, he said. He purchased the already established North Little Rock location in 2013 and then launched another location in West Little Rock six months later. But, because of the familiarity and popularity of the first Little Rock location, the second location was immediately successful, he said.
The Fort Smith store will remain his focus for awhile, as he and Wells, along with three onsite artists, build the marketing strategies and popularity of the studio. The group is utilizing social media and word-of-mouth advertising, but he expects to expand marketing and the number of employees as business grows. Wells said a liquor license should be granted in about a month, but in the meantime, adults can bring beer or wine to the establishment. Family events are also scheduled throughout the month.
“We’re not a bar atmosphere by any means,” said Wells. “But we do cater to adults at many events and encourage people to have fun while working on their art.”
McMurry said he has been pleased with the success of the business, The studio can host up to 42 people in the main room as well as an additional 24 in the party room.