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Writer's pictureMark Lipton

What's a Parent to Do?

Updated: May 31, 2023

My daughter Miranda called me last week. The phones ringing raising immediate concerns considering THE kid and her generation’s preference for texting as a means of communications.


And keeping their parents at bay!


But, like most anxieties my fears turned out to be unfounded. "Panda" only wondering, “If I end up in Stamford Thursday night, can I borrow the car?”


Knowing I had no plans for the night and grateful to have any purpose in my child's life I assented.


Which seemed straightforward, though nothing ever is with THE former Buck Wheat!


Picking up my offspring at the train the next day the littlest Lipton used the 12-minute ride home to more fully explain her plans for the evening; which included a trip to the Jersey Shore.


“I should be back Tuesday!”


I hope I don’t need the car before then!



In my blog last week I shared pictures of a Benjamin Moore price list dated 1953. THE paint memorabilia among several I have recently added to my collection.


THE blog elicited an outsized response including several emails from “grey-beards” laying claim to being the industry’s longest tenured; based on the lowest price which they could recall Benjamin Moore’s Regal selling for during their careers.


One reader engaging the flux capacitor, sharing that #HeRemembersRegal for $7.00 per gallon!




Another reader who reached out shared that while he don’t recall the price of Regal quite that low, he did recall taking the NACE III class with me for five-days in Philadelphia, in 2004.


And he brought receipts!



Not Necessarily THE News!


I pick through more than 25 Google Alerts each day to identify news to report here or on my podcast, with most of those alerts dispatched in moments with only a quick scan necessary to determine their relevance.


THE alerts which survive should reflect the news of this channel, though not all of those remaining can be considered news.


Many of the alerts Google sends each day are not in-fact industry news but rather announcements of new products or some other marketing announcement which Google’s algorithm cannot distinguish from the actual news I seek.


Though one such marketing announcement I spotted recently may be news!


Earlier this month Rust oleum (Canada) announced the company’s first-ever wall paint under the Rust oleum label. The Rust oleum brand heretofore reserved for heavy-duty and industrial coatings.


A stark departure for the Rust oleum brand, the new Colour Spark line comprises 13 ready-made "curated" colors, which are available in both semi-gloss and eggshell finishes.


Rust oleum claims the paints are mold and mildew resistant and self-priming, while offering a “superior” application experience.


Color Spark will be available exclusively at big box retailers!


I’m not convinced that this announcement has much relevance to independent paint retailers in Canada; are ready-made colors on a line with no tinting bases even a thing?


Still, when the continent’s third largest paint manufacturer adds a wall paint to a line of industrial epoxies and urethanes it’s hard not to take note.


THE move could portend a brilliant shift in strategy for the multi-billion-dollar industrial brand found on the shelves of most independents reading this post.


Though, it doesn’t seem brilliant to me!














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