Family Business Supports the Entertainment Industry
Originally established 115 years ago as a hardware store, Epstein’s Paint Center shifted its focus to paint, wallpaper and flooring when a new industry came to the neighborhood in the 1950s. Film studios moved in down the road from the business’s location on Ninth Avenue in New York City. Lawrence Epstein, the owner and operator of the business at the time, took a few books of wallpaper to the film studios and, as they say, the rest is history.
Key Takeaways
- Epstein’s Paint Center has been focusing on paint, wallpaper and flooring since the 1950s
- The business is owned and operated by fourth generation brothers Peter and Ken Epstein
- One unique audience the business supports is the entertainment industry in New York City, providing paint, wallpaper and flooring for shows like Saturday Night Live
Our dad Lawrence would go to the studios with wallpaper books in hand and he made it a point to become friends with people working in the television and movie studios. These friends he made would come to the store and hang out. They were loyal and kept using Epstein Paints as the years went on.
- Ken Epstein
Owner
When color TV was gaining traction, his family business stepped in as the set design solution, according to Peter Epstein. He and his brother, Ken Epstein, are fourth generation owners.
“Our dad Lawrence would go to the studios with wallpaper books in hand and he made it a point to become friends with people working in the television and movie studios,” Ken says. “These friends he made would come to the store and hang out. They were loyal and kept using Epstein Paints as the years went on.”
Since then, Epstein’s Paint Center has helped supply paint, wallpaper and sundries to hundreds of Hollywood movies, TV shows, broadway plays, and even the Metropolitan Opera. Most consistently has been the set design team at Saturday Night Live, who have been working with Epstein’s for over 40 years.
Most famously, the paint store worked with the production team of the 1978 musical “The Wiz” starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. In the film, the entire 59th Street Bridge acts as the yellow brick road. Epstein’s Paint Center was tasked with creating the unique yellow color to help the film stand out compared to the original “Wizard of Oz” from 1939. Shortly after the movie premiered, the yellow color the business had created was featured in New York Magazine
“After the article in New York Magazine came out, the store was packed,” says Kurt. “It was wall to wall people coming in to get some of our unique yellow paint.”
The Epstein brothers are proud to continue in their family’s footsteps of providing high quality paints, flooring, windows, and more to the neighborhood and the movie industry and plan on continuing their business for years to come.
