Lovely Letters: Tanner Paint Co. Mural Shares History of Company and City

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Lovely Letters: Tanner Paint Co. Mural Shares History of Company and City

At Tanner Paint Co. in Tampa, Florida, the letters of a mural on the outside of the store spell out the history of the company and the city. Walker Tanner, the company’s owner and fourth generation leader, says the mural was painted seven years ago to share the company’s history.

“The T of the mural features the 1938 store downtown and our store from 1948, when we had a drive-in paint store. It also features photos from when we started manufacturing paint in 1951 and our store today,” Tanner says. “We found a photo of my grandmother and granddad helping customers for the mural, and when the artist painted that photo in the mural, he changed it to be me and my dad helping customers instead of my grandmother and granddad. It’s a cool way to include us in our history.”

The remaining letters pay homage to well-known spots in Tampa and the Tampa Bay area. The letter A features Ybor, a historical area of Tampa, and the first N represents Bayshore, one the longest continuous sidewalks in Florida.

“My mom really wanted to put a manatee in the mural, so if you look close, a little manatee is popping up in the water on the first N,” Tanner says.

The other letters represent downtown Tampa, City Hall, the water tower, the Gasparilla parade, the University of Tampa, the Tampa Zoo, Busch Gardens, a cigar to represent Tampa’s history in cigar-rolling, the Tampa city flag and the Tampa Theater.


Harnessing the Sun

With an eye to the sky and a desire to be more eco-conscious, owner

Peter Goedecke of Goedecke Decorating installed solar panels at his store in Bedford, New Hampshire. Goedecke says in the three years since he installed the solar panels, they have generated nearly $60,000 worth of electricity.

“I like the concept of making our own power and how we are using it to help the environment,” Goedecke says. “Plus, it’s good for business, helping us save money. We used to have electric bills of $1,200 to $1,800 a month, but now our electric bill is just a couple hundred dollars once a year.”

The solar panels have also reduced costs by keeping the parts of the roof that are covered cooler in the summer months.

“The panels have been a big success for sure, it’s a good green story, but it’s also a good economical one,” Goedecke says. “Our customers seem to appreciate the effort too.”


Paint for a Cause

When local organization Survivors Speak needed supplies for a project, Anderson Paint Co. stepped in to help. The operation, which has two locations in Ann Arbor, Michigan, donated paint for buddy benches that were installed at Estabrook Elementary in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

Don McGee, outside sales rep for Anderson Paint Co., says the company got involved with Survivors Speak through the contractor who built the benches. The nonprofit organization uses the arts and other creative platforms to bring a voice to taboo topics and social injustices.

“Anderson Paint Co. is always looking for ways to help the community around us,” McGee says. “We were happy to be a part of this worthwhile project.”


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