GRAND OPENING: NEW BUSINESS IN COLUMBIA

GRAND OPENING: NEW BUSINESS IN COLUMBIA
BROOKS BROTHERS PAINTING

Published Saturday, March 22, 2008

Don Shrubshell photo

Gayland Brooks, left, and his brother, Sam Brooks, opened Brooks Brothers Painting in September. The brothers learned the trade from their father, who worked as a painter for more than 30 years.

● Owners: Gayland and Sam Brooks

● Phone: 886-2468

● Nature of services offered: Brooks Brothers Painting offers interior and exterior painting services for residential and commercial properties in Columbia and Sturgeon. Whether it’s painting one room in a single-family home or an entire office building, owners and brothers Gayland and Sam Brooks work together on each job to ensure customer satisfaction. In addition to standard painting services, the business also offers drywall repair, trim replacement, outdoor deck painting and wood staining.

● Opened: September

● Hours: Because it is a home-based business, there are no set hours. Services are available seven days a week.

● Costs: The business, which offers free estimates, charges around $35 per hour for most jobs, but Gayland Brooks said costs vary.

● Owners’ experience: Gayland and Sam Brooks grew up in the painting business. Their father worked as a painter for more than 30 years at the University of Missouri and worked evenings and weekends as a freelance home painter. Gayland, a self-employed painter since 1997, said he and Sam learned everything they know from their dad, who put them to work at a young age to help out with his side jobs. Sam Brooks, who also worked at MU as a painter, said by starting up their own business, they are paying tribute to their father.

● Clientele: Anyone

● Origin of name: Gayland and Sam Brooks said the name lets people know it’s a family business. "It gives people the idea that we are brothers, and it’s our name that’s on the line," Sam Brooks said.

● Customer appeal: Sam Brooks said they can finish a standard single-family home in about a week because they don’t waste time. "We like to get in and do the job so you can get your life back to normal as soon as possible," he said.

● Why take the plunge now? Gayland and Sam Brooks said their upbringing and their father’s influence was the major driving force behind going into business for themselves. "Painting is all we’ve done our entire lives," said Sam Brooks.

● Future plans: The brothers said they would like to hire a few painters, but they don’t want the business to get too big. "We kind of like the personal contact," and "we want to make sure at least one of us is on every job site," Gayland Brooks said.

- Jordan Raubolt