The economy of the United States was still recovering from the Great Depression in 1936, with unemployment down to 15% from its high of 25% in 1933.  With Gross Domestic Product also on the rise, things were probably looking up for the first time since 1929 in my grandfather’s Bronx, New York, paint store.    In an era before DIY projects and ready-made paints, customers in Gramps’ store were all painters, buying lead, solvent, pigments and driers in bulk before blending the

British rock star Chrissie Hynde is best known for her dark contralto , a captivating tone which maintains its haunt even as the octaves rise.    Lead singer and guitarist for the band the Pretenders , Hynde played the University of Maryland’s Ritchie Coliseum in 1981 where I was a freshman working concert security. Just a short walk from my room in the fraternity house , the gig ensured a front row seat for the best campus events, while putting enough cash in my pocket t

Less than a week before Christmas, Sherwin-Williams told managers at 28 stores, eight of which were in the Southwestern division, that their stores would be closing permanently on February 20 th with their positions eliminated effective that day.   Merry fucking Christmas from CEO Heidi Petz , who could not find the compassion or few Pennie’s necessary to allow an estimated 50+ employees to enjoy the holidays before dealing with this bad news. A guilty plea to my charge of

Last week the Federal Trade Commission sued to block Henkel AG & Co . from acquiring Liquid Nails Construction Adhesive , alleging that the acquisition would “eliminate competition leading to higher prices for consumers.”   Henkel is the manufacturer of Loctite , which along with Liquid Nails are the nation’s two largest construction adhesive brands.      Under the terms of the proposed deal, Henkel was to acquire Liquid Nails for $725 million from American Industrial Partne

A trade war and buy-Canadian impulse activated by US President Donald Trump have conspired to seismically shift the competitive landscape for architectural coatings in Canada according to my sources.    Last week an expert in that market reported to me that Sherwin-Williams, Pittsburgh and Benjamin Moore were all down 20% in that country for the first half of this year.    A source at Benjamin Moore confirmed the probability of that scoop, sharing that the company was down

For the first three decades independent paint retailers and handful of the field and executive staff who called on them were the only readers of my screeds, at that time available only by thumbing a copy of the Paint Dealer Magazine. When the Paint Dealer closed in 2020 I became a blogger, though the demographics did not change much.      Until I announced that I had been hired as the Strategic Counselor by Dan Calkins , THE freshly-minted CEO of Benjamin Moore, readership

Last week paint makers AkzoNobel and Axalta Coatings Systems announced that the companies would be merging to create an enterprise with combined revenues of more than $17 billion.  THE planet’s second largest coatings manufacturer after Sherwin-Williams now that PPG has divested .   I plan to add coverage of the merger as it seems likely to impact the US market but don’t worry, I won’t start that today.       I Redditt   An employee at Pittsburgh Paints created a new sub

My reporting on a price increase at Pittsburgh Paints last week shifted the demographics from Cleveland to Cranberry, though it was not the price of paint which Pittsburgh's employees were looking to discuss.     Like the 7% price increase announced by Sherwin-Williams Pittsburgh’s increase reflects the changing priorities of the largest paint retailers, coveting profits more than revenue in a stark reversal for both brands which are known by dealers to use their scale to

Stamford, Connecticut based internet service provider Frontier Internet wants my hometown to know that if you sign up for their five-gig service you get a free $300 Visa gift card.  So excited are they to share the news that a representative of Frontier shouted it through my door last week, after I had refused to open it.    THE reverse ding-dong-ditch had me back at my desk in less time than my father would have needed to throw out a sales rep who came into the store withou