At Bob Torre”™s retail stores, the green paint comes in 1,232 colors.
The contractor has opened three retail paint stores since last year, all of them exclusively stocked with Mythic Paint, zero-volatile organic compounds (VOC), zero-toxins and non-carcinogenic paint.
Torre discovered the paint purely by kismet. His general contracting company, Bedford Hills-based R. C. Torre Construction, was hired to renovate the home of Westchester resident Keir Kleinknecht, who had just purchased the Mississippi-based Mythic Paint company, with plans to repackage the paint and get it stocked in hardware stores nationwide.
Kleinknecht asked Torre”™s crew if he could supply the paint for them to use, and Torre was impressed by the quality and environmental friendliness of the paint. So much so, that he decided to open up a retail paint store in Bedford stocked solely with Mythic Paint. He will also use the paint in his contracting business.
“We have eight full-time painters on staff,” said Torre. “They will now only use Mythic Paint not only because the quality is better than competitors, but because by using this product they do not expose themselves to the toxins and carcinogens found in traditional paints.”
The VOCs and toxins in traditional paint have been linked to a variety of diseases prevalent in painters, he said. Noni Holmes, the health officer for The Operative Painters and Decorators Union coined the phrase ”˜painter”™s syndrome”™ to describe the reported effects solvents or VOCs, used in traditional oil-based synthetic paints, can have on the human nervous system.
Mythic Paint bills itself as the only high-performance paint that guarantees zero-VOCs, zero-toxins and is non-carcinogenic. The formula was developed over six years of polymer research conducted by the University of Southern Mississippi.
Torre said sales at the store have been “very good” since it opened in May. He opened subsequent Mythic Paint stores in Yonkers and Ridgefield, Conn. Torre has plans to open additional ones in Mahopac, Chappaqua, Stamford and Westport. He has a deal with Mythic Paint for the territorial rights to Westchester and Fairfield counties.
“Our customers include individuals who are concerned about the threat of toxins from traditional paint, as well as contractors who are looking for a high-quality product for their clients,” he said.
He believes that with an increasing national awareness about the importance of using environmentally friendly products, the paint can become a popular seller.
“We feel strongly about the product,” he said. “It”™s good for the environment and there”™s no smell or toxins. It might take a little while to catch on all over, but we have had a great response so far.”
He said the paint is available across the color palette and can be matched to any competitor”™s color through a proprietary toxin-free coloring system using MatchRite Color Matching software.
