Hand a canvas and some painting supplies to a not-so-budding artist, and a blank stare may follow. But give this same Picasso in the rough a corkscrew and wine glass, and you’ve got a franchise opportunity.
Such is the rationale behind a string of new businesses that seek to draw customers out of their shells through group painting and perhaps a Pinot Noir.
Started in 2007, Painting with a Twist began in the New Orleans suburb of Mandeville, La., as a way to give back to the community, which had recently been pummeled by Hurricane Katrina.
“We were looking for something that people could enjoy and take them away from what they had been doing, which was thinking, ‘Do I have enough insurance?’†said Cathy Deano, the company’s co-founder.
The idea was a hit.