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Anyone who has painted a wall is familiar with that strong, chemical scent that sticks around for days.
Derek Shambora, owner of Eco-Simplista, used to use traditional, smelly paint until his father got a severe allergic reaction to his newly painted walls. It got so bad that he couldn’t sleep at night. Shambora said that’s when he thought about using “green” paint.
“If you look at the back of a paint can, without knowing anything about paint, if you look at the back of a paint can, you’ll see all kinds of warning labels. Ours is the only paint not required by the government to carry any toxic warning labels,” said Sambora.
Conventional paint can release toxins for up to 6 years even though the ‘paint’ smell goes away in just a week. Mythic paint, the kind Derek used to repaint his Father’s walls, doesn’t release anything. It’s the same paint he now proudly sells in his Oakland Park store Eco-Simplisa where both he and his sister Dana work. The store itself has grown as the interest in “green” products has grown. What once started out as just a paint store has now expanded to include everything from eco-friendly plaster to veggie wash.
Shambora said their customers are not limited to contractors, they’re getting more and more ‘do it yourself-ers’.
“They want quality products, they want to go green, but they can’t afford it with the contractor. So, they’re trying to use the high quality product…and teach themselves how to do it,” said Shambora.
Even the most novice painter can use it, said Shambora, thanks to Eco-Simplista’s weekly classes. They are held every Saturday in the parking lot behind the store. They say that when they move into a bigger facility, they’ll have more education classes indoors.
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