Painting with a Twist rides new trend

The “paint ‘n’ sip” phenomenon, whereby friends, neighbors, and colleagues come together to paint, drink and relax, is showing up signs of slowing down and that’s good news for a Louisiana-based company.



Painting with a Twist, which bills itself as the original and largest paint-and-sip franchise, has opened more than one new location each week this year, and is on track to reach its goal of 100 new locations in 2015.



Additionally, the company has signed recent franchise agreements propelling the brand into seven new states, including Alabama, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Montana and Washington.



The brand’s expansion into seven new markets further extends the New Orleans-based paint-and-sip franchises’ footprint to now cover 33 states across the country.



“The buzz created in a new market by our first-time twisters really inspires us to keep growing,” said Michael Powers, managing director at Painting with a Twist. “Painting with a Twist customers continue to visit our studios more often, which validates our aggressive franchise growth to meet demand. This further supports the sustainability of our unique business model.”



Painting with a Twist was born in the wake of Hurricane Katrina after local moms Cathy Deano and Renee Maloney had a vision of creating a safe, creative, and social venue for people to gather and a platform for local artists to thrive.



With a passion for giving back, the studios host local monthly fundraiser events called Painting with a Purpose. Through the program, each studio holds monthly fundraisers for various organizations in their communities and to date, the company has donated nearly $2 million to local non-profit organizations.