About Us
Moving Forward
Store History
As told by the owner, Kirk Taylor:
"John Askew Paint Store was founded in 1946 by my grandfather, who worked crews of painters, paperhangers,
and floor finishers. He wanted a store to supply the needs of those workers, and over the following years,
my father, T.K. Taylor, learned from him by helping him run the contracting business and working with customers
on the showroom floor.
In 1957, I began working at the store, on weekdays during the summer and Saturdays year round.
In 1960, my father bought the store and continued helping my grandfather manage a small crew of painters
until my grandfather’s death in 1968. Eventually, the name was changed to Askew-Taylor Paints.
In 1967, my father allowed me to put $1100 worth of art supplies in a corner. By the 1980’s,
the art business had grown to be more than half the total business. Now, as we move forward, we’re
phasing out house paints and shifting our focus exclusively to arts and crafts supplies.
While I don’t know all the things my father and grandfather knew about paint,
I did learn a lot from them. In the 1960's, my father told me the best way to be successful
was to take care of each customer’s needs to the best of your ability and let the business
grow through word of mouth. This also reflected John Askew’s business philosophy. Now, it is
my goal to implement that philosophy as well as they did." - KT
Want to know more about us? Check out Our Focus Moving Forward.
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