Tonight a special edition of Room For Improvement as makeover maestro Martin Amado channels his inner Picasso and helps out a local children’s museum!

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.

To view the article online and read the rest of the newsletter click here:http://cbs4.com/greenflorida/eco.simplista.derek.2.1531615.html

One day a little green building appeared on Oakland Park Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, just down the street from our corporate headquarters. We do not have a lot of green buildings in our area so it stood out and demanded to be noticed. The sign read “Mythic Paint” and the stated claim was “0% TOXIC 100% SMART.” I had to stop and see for myself what this was about and it was a pleasure to meet the brother and sister team, Derek and Dana Shambora, that ran this establishment and what followed was an on the spot education that opened my eyes and I hope will open yours as well. 

 The claim is that MYTHIC PAINT, the manufacturer, has created a product that is totally environmentally friendly as you will read in their short article to follow.  The significance is not lost on me for a very simple reason. The building materials used in the average home are one of the greatest threats to our health and the environment. Think about the huge variety of chemicals used in glues and resins and finishing materials. 

 Dana tells me that the “AH HAH” moment for her was when her brother, Derek, actually drank some of the paint to drive his point home. (okay, calm down, Derek). The response to the opening of their store has been gratifying and they have had some early success introducing MYTHIC PAINT to the local area BUT more remarkable has been the demand from clients for other “eco-friendly” products to replace what is most common on the market. First they located a non-toxic sealer, then some other nontoxic finishing products, and the concept was born to provide a complete selection of alternative building and finishing material to a public that is clearly “on board.” The decision was made to change the name of their business to ECO SIMPLISTA. The website tells more of the story. Certainly we at Hacienda Matapalo will be incorporating their knowledge with our choices of building materials during the construction of our community and we will be exploring ways of working with ECO SIMPLISTA to keep us aware of the cutting edge alternatives that are being developed for a supportive market.

 For more information and to locate “eco-friendly” products to use here and now in your own home, you can contact Derek and Dana directly at 954-565-5900.

Nationwide shipping is easy and advice is only a phone call away.

Website: www.ecosimplista.com

Address: 699 East Oakland Park Boulevard

Oakland Park, FL 33334

Phone: 954-565-5900

 A few words from Derek Shambora of ECO SIMPLISTA

 Thank you David, for requesting our participation in the Hacienda Matapalo newsletter. As land owners) and lovers of Costa Rica, Costa Ricans, its rich history and the principals by which the country is governed, we are honored to be a small part of this project. Hacienda Matapalo came on our radar approximately 10 months ago via email. We have looked forward to following its progress as we are of a like mind having developed family properties in ecologically sensitive areas (Tofino, Vancouver Island, British Columbia; Gold Key Lake, PA and soon to be in Guanacaste).  The thoroughness and sensitivity of this project is heartfelt. Each member of your community will feel the pride the team is investing in the project and the local community surely will benefit.

 Our paths crossed when David stopped by our store at 699 E Oakland Park Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale Florida. Our belief is that fate brought us together as both operations are in the forefront of the “green” revolution.

 Our Story: Eco Simplista, formerly known as Broward Mythic Paint Supply, is celebrating its 1st anniversary.  Our business started with a single product, Mythic Paint, the first company to totally eliminate the use of carcinogenic solvents in its products and create a far “superior” product. Independent testing laboratories confirm the manufacturer’s claims per chemical analysis and scrub tests (see www.mythicpaint.com). Their product has been rated as the highest quality in its category and the fact that it is VOC free and totally non-toxic is the “icing on the cake” so to say.

 Immediately after opening our store, a customer requested a non-toxic, zero VOC clear sealer for an interior concrete project. We offered to help research the market and once we found a product we liked, we decided to bring it in the store in addition to the paint. 

 The above episode has been repeated to the point whereby a decision was made to change our name to Eco Simplista (www.ecosimplista.com) and we became south Florida’s center for “green” home maintenance, decorating, lifestyle and building materials. Some of the items we carry include non-toxic paint, wood stains, concrete stains, caulking, adhesives, sealers, sustainable flooring, organic and toxin free cleaning products, lighting, water-saving devices, energy-saving tools, and much more of the like.   We also partner with local contractors offering custom concrete services, flooring installation, venation plaster, and impeccable painting and wallpaper services.  Our future growth depends on relationship building with forward thinking organizations such as Hacienda Matapalo and your individual members. Together we can be the solution that our planet deserves.

To view the article online and read the rest of the newsletter click here: http://haciendamatapalo.com/downloads/Dec09NL.pdf

Derek Shambora was certainly a good son when he painted his father’s home about 18 months ago. But a few hours later, his father became sick from the paint fumes. Shambora switched to a toxin-free product and launched a new career.

“A month after I had to repaint I took all my savings and opened a store for nontoxic paint,” said Shambora, 26, of Hollywood.

The store, Eco Simplista, which he now owns with his sister Dana Shambora, 30, of Dania Beach, is all about being green.

The Oakland Park store, with attention-grabbing fluorescent lime green on the outside, is stocked with Mythic eco-friendly paint and paint products, flooring supplies, countertop and backsplash materials, cleaning agents and tools made by other vendors. All products are made without volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, Dana Shambora said.

VOCs are a broad class of gas-like vapors that come from paint, solvents, varnish and adhesives. Airborne particles from the compounds lower indoor air quality, and can be especially dangerous to the very young or elderly and people with allergies or skin or lung problems.

“Our paint is one of the few 100 percent nontoxic paints that do not require government warning labels,” Dana Shambora said. Paint prices average $45 per gallon. Interior drywall primer costs $36 a gallon. The average gallon of Mythic covers about 400 square feet compared to conventional paint coverage of 300 to 350 square feet, Derek Shambora said. Conventional paint prices per gallon range from $12 to $35, according to quality and type.

Dana Shambora, a former event planner and marketing relations executive, said her brother opened the place as a paint store about 18 months ago but took cues from customers to become much more. He expanded to earth-friendly products over the summer. First, environmentally safe wood stain and sealers were added to the mix. Then, paint supplies like rollers ($2.25-$10), trays ($1.60-$4) and brushes ($4-$15) were added.

Eventually, the store began selling 12 lines of flooring from companies that recycle discarded materials, reuse what is found or give back more than they take.

EcoTimber, a formaldehyde-free hardwood company, plants two trees for every one used for flooring. Goodwin Flooring recovers wood from waterways, old warehouses and barns. Flor, a carpeting company, uses all recycled materials and, when the customer wants a change, will collect, recycle and resell old carpet. At-home consultations and installation services are available.

“We want all of our products to improve the indoor air quality for everyone and we want to make it easy and affordable,” Dana Shambora said.

Energy and water conservation also are made easy. Mini spiral compact fluorescent lights ($4-$5) last up to 10 times longer than incandescent light. Megaman LED reflectors, replacements for halogen, sell for $116.75.

Customers can start saving money on water with a dual-action Flush Choice toilet flusher ($58) or harvest their own water from nature with a 51-gallon Rainwater Hog Tank ($350).

Housekeeping supplies are also green at Eco Simplista.

Shelves are stocked with cleaning items such as bathroom cleaner ($5.99), laundry soap nuts ($9.99-$18.99), dish soap ($9) and hand sanitizer ($4.99) made of hypoallergenic, natural ingredients.

The Shambora siblings do their research before adding a product to the store.

“Some companies are proud to be green but we test the items to make sure they actually work,” Derek Shambora said. “The thing about us is that we are green and our game is selling quality products.”

To view the article online click here:
http://www.miamiherald.com/pembroke-pines/story/1388253.html

Go Mythic.

By: Shelly Allen

 Have you ever taken on the fun job of repainting a room or two in your home only to have your nose and eyes feel like they are going to burn out of your body? How about once the job is done as you lie down to sleep you take a deep breath and feel a burning sensation rip through your lungs? Make no mistake about it, it’s the chemicals involved in those paint products that produce those warm and fuzzy burning sensations.

 Today we hear a lot about VOCs and their effect on our health but what is a VOC?  VOC stands for Volatile Organic Compound and despite the “organic” in the name there is nothing organic about them.  VOCs are organic chemical compounds that have high enough vapor pressures under normal conditions to significantly vaporize and enter the atmosphere.  Some VOCs are greenhouse gasses and therefore contribute to global warming and others are just plain bad for your health. 

 While few VOCs occur naturally from cows and trees, many come from manufactured products such as paint thinners, paints and varnishes, and dry cleaning solvents.  These VOCs contribute to illness and have been determined to cause “sick building syndrome.”  Carcinogens and VOCs emitted by traditional paints have been linked to a variety of health effects including eye, nose and throat irritations; dizziness; liver, kidney and central nervous system damage and even cancer. 

 Those burning sensations I spoke of earlier and the VOCs emitted from the paint are a couple of reasons why I always use paints with no VOCs.  I have however run into an interesting problem.  Though the painting process is much more bearable, the paint just never looks the same as when I used regular paint, when I came across Mythic Paint I figured out why.  Apparently those other paint companies take out the toxic ingredients, which ok, that’s fantastic, however they do not make any alterations to the paint to make it perform just as well.  What a bummer, no wonder my paint jobs never look as good. 

 The good news is that there is a company that has spent six years and a lot of money developing their product.  Actually it was developed in cooperation with the University of Southern Mississippi, a national leader in polymer science. Southern Diversified Products has been able to develop a paint line, Mythic Paint, with absolutely no VOCs, NO toxic solvents, and nothing in it that will hurt you, your pets or your children!  Even pregnant women can paint with it and have no fear of hurting their unborn child. What is even better is that Mythic Paint out performs, or performs just as well as all other leading brands. Can you believe it?  I was stunned when I came across Mythic Paint.

 Here is more great news; there is a place in Oakland Park, Broward Mythic Paint / Eco Simplista, where you can buy it!  No longer do you have to order it off the internet, you can walk right in and pick your paint colors from the 1,232 paint colors they offer, or you can have your paint color matched!  I can’t tell you how excited I am about this paint line; I am taking a look around my house right now to see which room needs a fresh coat. 

 Broward Mythic Paint / Eco Simplista is located at 699 East Oakland Park Blvd, Oakland Park, FL, 954-565-5900 or visit them on the web at www.browardmythicpaintsupply.com (www.ecosimplista.com)

 To view this article online, as well as the rest of the magazine click here:

http://www.girl-magazine.com/magazine_mar/index.html

Paint Job Included

Everything for sale at Broward Mythic Paint Supply, a new boutique paint and renovation-supply store in Oakland Park, is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified.  So no matter what you are in the market for, you are getting something that is of top eco-quality — especially when it comes to the most prominent item for purchase, Mythic Paint.  There are 1,232 Mythic Paint colors from which to choose, and owner Derek Shambora promises to match any competitors hues, too.  Mythic Paint, which launched a little more than a year ago, is the only paint that the United States government does not require to have a toxicity-warning label, according to Shambora.  The brand is not only 100-percent non-toxic, but it is also volatile organic compound (VOC)-free.  It is advertised to be extremely high-performance, getting 400 square feet to the gallon while other brands average 300.  Unlike VOC-free varieties that just remove the VOC’s from the existing formula, thereby weakening the overall performance, Mythic Paints are engineered to perform best as latex paing without the extra toxins. – Megan Aquilina

From $45 Per gallon | 699 E Oakland Park Boulevard, Oakland Park | 954 565 5900 | www.browardmythicpaint.com

 It is not every day that you use Broward County and Eco Friendly in the same sentence.  However, a revolutionary paint company using zero toxins and non-hazardous materials is rolling into town to do just that.  Mythic Paint, the world’s first high-performance, non-toxic, zero Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) paint sets up shop in Broward County for what’s sure to transform the very concept of home goods. 

 Mythic Paint offers not only a quality product and safe painting alternative, but also a friendly atmosphere with impeccable customer service.  The store’s bright lime green exterior houses a simple, yet modern space, where inside, the owner and south Florida native, Derek Shambora, creates a comfortable and chic environment.  With a true understanding of his clientele – targeting mothers-to-be, eco-conscious residence and industry professionals, the 25 year old business owner invites customers to stay a while, cozy up on the couch, peruse his private collection of art and design books and magazines, or pick through the swivels of color swatches. 

Shambora offers customers the chance to match any competitor color swatch to one of Mythic’s 1,232 customized, hazard-free choices, using the in-store Hero machine and MatchRite color matching software.  The surfer-turned business owner promotes his inner artist with an eco-conscious aesthetic from Bansky-inspired street art (www.bansky.co.uk) and the bright lime-green exterior to the polished porcelain stone floors and modern furnishings inside.  All supplies within the store represent the best in the industry from Wooster brushes to Dynamic Enviro-Paintware.

 Shambora’s passion and endless knowledge of his products enable him to identify with Mythic’s brand quality and its positive long-term effects.  From prepping the baby room to “greenifying” your new home or business, Mythic Paint goes beyond its already stellar performance to protect your health, your surrounding environment, and your future. 

 Broward Mythic Paint Supply, LLC is located at 699 E Oakland Park Blvd. (just east of NE 6^th Ave) Oakland Park, 33334. Tel 954-565-5900, Fax 954-565-5978.

 To view the article online click here: http://publishing.yudu.com/Awin3/Dec08/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.susieqwebsite.com%2Fonline%2F