LAREDO PAINT & DECORATING CELEBRATES 80 YEARS OF BUSINESS

LAREDO, TX, April 17, 2008 / -- On Saturday, April 26th at 10am, Laredo Paint & Decorating celebrates its 80th anniversary with a re-grand opening of its main store in north Laredo at 5919 San Dario. The celebration will include refreshments and a ribbon cutting by Mayor Raul Salinas and the Laredo Chamber of Commerce. Also, Benjamin Moore Designer and Color Specialist Suzanne Spano will be on hand for a color design seminar.

The company has undergone many growth phases in its 80 years, from being a single paint store at 608 Salinas to one of the largest independently-owned paint dealers in south Texas with five stores in Laredo and San Antonio.

The company started back in 1928 when Emmitt Lee Addison, an astute businessman, purchased Rio Grande Paint Company and changed the name to Laredo Paint & Paper. Soon, he brought his wife Ruby Colman to help him manage the business. Back then, the store also offered a glass cutting and picture framing service, and art supplies which included hobby kits. The store started as an Acme Paint dealer, but switched to Elliot's brand paint which it sold for the next 50 years.

In the early 60's, Tom P Addison joined the company. During the 70’s, he opened an additional store at Las Lomas Shopping Center on Clark Blvd and moved the downtown store to north Laredo and, later, expanded into the San Antonio market.

Moving the main store to north Laredo was the catalyst for the store’s greatest period of growth, catapulting Laredo Paint full-force into the consumer paint and industrial coatings business. At this time, Laredo Paint became a Benjamin Moore dealer, and was one of the first to introduce airless spray equipment, computer color matching, and color forecasting seminars. As a footnote, for many years, custom colors were only available from professional painters.

Today, Laredo Paint & Decorating continues to grow rapidly and remains a family owned and operated business. Recently, stores in Laredo and San Antonio underwent extensive renovation to join the Benjamin Moore Signature Stores program. The program represents the best alternative to warehouse home centers by making the paint buying experience more enjoyable. Laredo Paint also became one of the first paint stores in Laredo to offer green-certified, low-emission premium paint called Aura from Benjamin Moore.

Media Contact:
Thomas Addison Jr
Laredo Paint & Decorating
5919 San Dario
Laredo, TX 78041

tomajr@laredopaint.com
laredopaint.com

About Laredo Paint & Decorating
Since 1928, Laredo Paint & Decorating provides quality paint products and offers expert advice to help homeowners decorate their homes with confidence. Laredo Paint & Decorating owns and operates Color Me Paint & Decorating stores in San Antonio.

This release was published on openPR.