Born from a need for a local place to buy paint, Mountain Colors Paint Store in Crested Butte, Colorado, has grown into a full-service paint, hardware and lighting operation that serves its community with high-end products. The store opened in 1994, and current owner Kim Raines purchased the business in 2006 from the original founder, who was also her boss at the time. Raines started working at the store in 2004, a gig that began as a summer job and evolved into a calling that allowed her to keep her creativity alive.
“The design aspect of this business challenges me daily as I try to stay on top of new and upcoming products and design trends,” she says. “And the small business aspect of this industry challenges me in a whole different way as I try to stay competitive, reliable and profitable in the building industry.”
Raines says the store opened before consumers had access to buying products online, so when residents needed paint or other building supplies, they had to drive to the closest big-box store over 90 miles away or into Denver, a four-hour one-way trip in good weather. The store grew quickly as more people moved into the area, building new homes and remodeling older ones.
Since Raines took over, sales have grown substantially each year, leading her to divide the company’s building into two separate areas running side by side. One space focuses on paint and the other caters to lighting, door hardware and bathroom and home accessories.
Hiring and training an employee to be knowledgeable in the paint department and then training them to sell lighting from over 60 brands and take care of complex door orders became too complicated and timely, she says. Raines runs the hardware and lighting space by herself and hired three employees to run the paint side.
“I hung up my paint making pants, although I sometimes hop in and help the team when they are swamped. I hired amazing team members to run the paint store so I could focus on lighting and hardware sales, which are my passion,” Raines says.
Professional painters and contractors are 85 percent of the operation’s customer base and DIYers make up 15 percent. Dividing the store into two separate spaces has allowed Raines to provide a higher level of personalized service to all of her customers.
“We have a core crew of great painters and contractors who support our business,” she says. “All of my staff members are trained colorists and we love helping customers make their paint ideas a reality.”
Bringing a Boutique Feel
Mountain Colors Paint Store serves high-end clientele with expensive homes, so Raines transformed the store into a boutique experience to appeal to local customers. In 2016, the store underwent an extensive floor-to-ceiling remodel to improve the look and feel. Raines says her inspiration came after looking into the windows of a neighborhood paint store in Manhattan.
“I loved that the Chelsea paint store didn’t look like a paint store and looked nothing like what we currently had,” she says. “We did everything possible to make our store match our high-end clientele.”
Because the paint store occupies just 1,700 square feet, Raines uses basic, traditional merchandising to keep the store organized by product and use, so customers can easily shop without having to ask where items are located. Raines says it takes a lot of magic to keep the items customers need in stock and well-organized in the small store, and she’s found simple and clean is the best option. Commercial space comes at a premium in Crested Butte, but Raines hopes to eventually move the hardware and lighting shop into a new space to give both sides of the business more room to grow.
The boutique feel flows into the marketing Raines does for the business as well. The company has an aesthetic and informative website and utilizes social media to share design inspiration.
“I post pictures of beautiful houses and our surroundings daily on Instagram to inspire and share our company with clients who are moving here and might not have heard of us yet,” Raines says. “But word of mouth is our most important form of advertising.”
The Importance of Products
Because the store is small, Raines is strategic in the products she carries, taking into account her customers’ needs, the local environment and trends in the industry. Crested Butte sits at 8,885 feet above sea level in a dry desert with harsh weather, including extreme sun and low moisture that can dry and damage wood quickly. Products that work at lower elevations and different climates often don’t work for the store’s clients, so she is continually bringing in and testing new products. Mountain Colors also carries several lines of eco-friendly products.
“We believe we have found the products that work best here, but we are always looking for better products that last longer, work better and give our customers a better bang for their buck,” she says. “We live in a beautiful area and keeping it beautiful is important to us. Thankfully, the industry has been making massive improvements in their products to be more eco-friendly.”
Like many other home improvement retailers, sales soared during the pandemic even with fewer products available. Raines says she weathered the supply chain issues by ordering the products she could and encouraging homeowners and contractors to be flexible on their product choices.
Mountain Colors Paint Store takes a personalized approach to serving customers, offering several different methods for customers to submit orders. Raines added a shop cell phone so customers can send pictures of paint or stain they need mixed or photos of other products they want to pick up. Customers text a photo of the lid that shows their name and job and the count they need, and the staff replies with a timeline for pickup based on their current workload.
Having photos of exactly what customers need helps eliminate mistakes and get customers what they need. Raines says they encourage all customers to order this way when they have simple orders or need a reorder of a product. The cell phone also allows customers to submit orders when the employees are busy helping other customers in the store or over the landline.
Along with computer records, the staff keeps every paint and stain they make on file for 10 years on index cards so they can see the actual color.
“We also make sure everything matches gallon to gallon before it leaves the shop to catch batch, human and colorant issues before a customer puts it on the wall,” Raines says. “We don’t catch them all unfortunately, but I do believe this method helps catch a majority of issues before they become big, expensive problems.”
Adding another level of customer service, Raines has put together a referral list of local painters, designers and contractors who she knows and trusts who customers can use for their projects. She shares the list on the store’s website and with any customers looking for recommendations.
Crafting a Culture of Family
Raines owes much of the success of her operation to her employees, who she says are like family to her and who she trusts to run the paint side of the business while she handles the hardware and lighting side.
Raines says she and her staff have always worked hard and had fun, but the pandemic changed the way they approach workloads. When the store opened to in-person shopping but with limited hours, the staff found they were able to work efficiently and do the same amount of volume during a seven-hour workday compared to the normal nine to 10 hours the store was open each day. Raines says there was also less sitting around. Raines made the shorter hours permanent and increased her employee’s hourly wage so they felt less of a need to work more hours to earn more money.
“These adjustments have helped employee morale drastically,” she says. “We have had more time to enjoy our life outside of work, taking part in our hobbies and spending more time with friends and family. We have been trying to work to live, not live to work.”
The staff focuses on its relationships with contractors and builders and strives to get those customers the products they need to keep working even when the store is not open. Customers have different options, like the store cell phone, to reach the team after hours, so Raines feels like they are still there for their customers, new and existing, even with shorter hours.
“I have high expectations of my team and they rise to those goals,” she says. “We get time off to play, as long as they show up with a great attitude and crank out the orders.”
Along with investing in her operation and employees, Raines stays involved in the community, donating to several organizations that are near and dear to her heart. She works yearly with each of those organization’s executive directors to be sure her donations work for them when they need them.
“Our customers are our neighbors and fellow community members and we want to give back to them to show our appreciation,” she says. “While I don’t have a lot of time to donate, I hope my monetary donations go far in helping the organizations and community I love.”
Decorating Distinctions
See how another paint retailer serves a wealthy community with high-end paint and decorating products and services. Learn more here.
Exciting Exteriors
See how two paint retailers refreshed their exterior spaces to attract more customers at here.
