Painting with a Twist franchise has evolved, moving into new territory with the acquisition of Color Me Mine, a paint-it-yourself pottery franchise, and Chesapeake Ceramics, a global ceramics supplier. Twist Brands LLC was created as a holding company for the trio of businesses that have a combined total of 400-plus locations.
With these new companies under its umbrella, Twist Brands can maintain a reliable supply chain for all of the entities, the company states.
Painting with a Twist provides participants with paint, a canvas, brushes and instruction during a party-like evening that culminates with a finished piece of art. It has almost 300 studios now open or being developed in 39 states. Color Me Mine, with 140 units, will maintain its own brand identity of customers painting pottery in its studios – with a choice of more than 400 pieces for their artistry. Color Me Mine recently has enjoyed expansion via existing franchisees adding more units to their
portfolios. Painting with a Twist leadership will assist the brand’s infrastructure and growth.
Chesapeake Ceramics is a top supplier to paint-it-yourself pottery studios, ceramics products dealerships and school art programs. Nearly 30 years ago, Chesapeake Ceramics became the first U.S. supplier to source a full container of bisque from Italy to stock the then-new concept of paint-your-own-pottery studios. Through the Twist acquisition, Chesapeake Ceramics will add the Duncan Oh Four® line of bisque designs to its offerings, resulting in 75 domestic and international distributors becoming clients.
Embracing the Evolution
Twist Brands CEO Joe Lewis says the parent company’s goal is “to enhance our ability to provide best-in-class support to our franchise owners so they can achieve their goals of success.”
Sean Goodwin, vice president of operations at Color Me Mine, welcomed the deal by saying: “We believe joining a team with support and leadership in every segment will propel the brand to new heights.”
Chesapeake Ceramics’ new general manager, Dean Saether, also expressed enthusiasm for the change, while adding that the company’s “focus will continue to be in customer service and delivering a quality product.”
Painting with a Twist History
Painting with a Twist’s last major deal occurred in October 2018, when it acquired competitor Bottle & Bottega. The acquisition allowed Painting with a Twist to move into major markets such as Chicago and California.
During the coronavirus pandemic, Painting with a Twist has pivoted in two ways. It introduced Twist at Home, which provides in-home paint with video instructions included for party guests, and it added virtual experiences such as team-building for businesses. Nationally, clients have created more than 10 million paintings at studios throughout the country since Painting with a Twist started franchising in 2009. Painting with a Twist has been ranked the No. 1 Paint and Sip franchise as part of Entrepreneur magazine’s annual Franchise 500 edition for the past seven years.
The brand was founded by Cathy Deano and Renee Maloney, two friends with a knack for organizing communities and a zeal for giving back. Painting with a Twist, headquartered in the New Orleans area, was recently honored by the International Franchise Association’s Franchise Education & Research Foundation’s Franchising Gives Back Awards. To date, Painting with a Twist has contributed more than $5 million through its charity arm, Painting with a Purpose.