Today we’d like to introduce you to Colleen Coppenger.
Hi Colleen, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’m originally from New Orleans, but I was a dental hygienist in Tarrant County for 34 years. In April of 2009, I was visiting my sister and attending a dental conference there. She suggested we go to a new business nearby called Corks and Canvas, where you painted and could byob. While we were there, I overheard them talking about franchising. I got the owner’s phone number and called her while I was driving home. By the time I got home, I had decided to borrow money from my dad and open up a franchise. I signed my franchise agreement on June 6 and opened on August 6, 2009. The business had been renamed Painting with a Twist. Mine is the 1st franchise in Texas and the 3rd in the overall. I am now the longest standing owner in the system.
Thankfully, I never considered it wouldn’t be successful, because had I known how close to disaster I would come before it took off, I would never had done it. But by the following June 2010, my studio was profitable and I retired from dental hygiene that August.
I really had no idea how to run a business, and didn’t bring any skills to the table other than I’m an honest, hard working person who loves people. Turns out, that’s really all I needed, I flew by the seat of my pants (and honestly, still do). I also know my weaknesses, so I hired some really good support people, namely my social media marketer and my accountant, who still work for me.
I did everything but teach the classes until 2012, when my daughter Molly came to work for me. She was a pastry chef and turns out quite a talented artist. She started as an assistant, then a stage artist, and now is also my full time manager, which gives me some flexibility to pursue other interests and travel some. I’m still very much involved in the day to day business and check in almost all of our events and I work all of the weekends.
While there have been many challenges and ups and downs, I can truthfully say, I still enjoy my business very much.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Is there ever a smooth road in life??
First, I didn’t borrow enough money and ended up charging up all of my credit cards before I started making any money. I was able to pay off my loan and those cards inside of 2 years.
Secondly, the franchisor hired someone to “grow” the franchise and oversold the DFW area, I took a huge hit when 6 other studios opened on my territory borders. Those, along with the independent studios that jumped on the paint and sip bandwagon really affected my revenue. I was fortunate to have a very loyal customer base and managed to outlast all of the independents and several of the other PWAT also closed after a couple of years.
Of course, then came Covid. I was fortunate to be able to take advantage of the programs available from the federal government and also the local governments and received a number of grants, which kept me from having to empty my savings account. My artists are employees (some PWAT list them as contractors), so they were all eligible for unemployment and all of them came back to work when things opened up.
The economy this past year has been a challenge, all of my costs have increased and revenue is down because my customer base is middle class, who I feel like are feeling the brunt of what’s happening with cost of living and health insurance. My artists are the highest paid in the system, my vendors all all being paid, but there’s not a lot left over for me these days. I’m pretty low maintenance, so I’m hanging in there, but it remains to be seen how things will pan out in the next few years.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Painting with a Twist Grapevine?
We are a franchise business in the “paint and sip” category. We offer painting instruction in a fun, relaxing, community setting where customers can byob snacks and drinks while painting with acylics and watercolors.
My studio specifically is known for our great customer service and extremely talented and entertaining artists.
Brand wise, I’m most proud of the hours of enjoyment we have provided through the years. There’s something about being creative in a group setting that is very therapeutic. I take that responsibility seriously and try very hard to be sure everyone has a great experience. We are designed for people who have never painted before and even people who think they can’t, who complain the whole time, at the end, are so proud of what they did and can’t wait to come again.
We also participate in what we call “Painting with a Purpose” that was initiated by the franchisors in 2010. Once a month, franchisees are encouraged to host an event with some or all of the proceeds being donated to a local non profit. I’m proud to say I have participated every month for over 16 years. I donate 100% of the proceeds to the organizations. At our last conference in 2023, I was awarded the Most Generous Painting with a Purpose. It’s really been an opportunity for me to give away more money than I ever thought I could, and that makes me really happy.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I’m a very self motivated and strong willed person, and I’ve usually found myself ending up in a mentor roll rather than needing a mentor, lol. One of my strengths is that I know my weaknesses and find people who are experts in what I know I am not. I have a well developed intuition that has served me well and I tend to follow that, rather than relying on someone else to tell me what’s best. Another kind of weird thing about me is that I’m not motivated by money. I tend to just try to do what I think is right and treat people like I want to be treated. Not being motivated by the money makes that easier for me.
Pricing:
- Canvas/Wood painting $42-48
- Chunky Blanket $65
- Paint your Pet $65
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.paintingwithatwist.com/studio/grapevine/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/PWATGrapevine/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pwat.grapevine/
