If you could get into your time machine and travel back a half century, you might happen to run into Vern Stevenson\u2019s local hardware store, where you would find the usual array of things you might need to fix up the place. But what you also might find is that Vern knew a thing or two about paint, to the point that Sherwin Williams asked him if he might be interested in also carrying automotive paint. Heck, why not? Pretty soon, the Sherwin Williams representative, Bill Christiansen, found that he\u2019d rather work with Vern than at the big company, and automotive paint became the “thing” at the store. After Vern decided to put his feet up and relax, he sold the store to Bill, who ran the business until he found himself with the same goal as Vern, so he in turn sold the store to his sons Richard and Mike.<\/p>\n
All this history comes down to one thing – after half a decade of answering people\u2019s questions, a trip to Stevenson\u2019s Paint is still a really good idea if you\u2019re going to paint that fancy ride you have. And for the past three years, the brothers have been taking and fulfilling orders for paint right here at the Pomona Swap Meet! For example, let\u2019s say you want to paint your car a nice candy color with beautiful metal flake or, perhaps, some pearlescence in the color. The Christiansen brothers will be happy to provide you with a solution to that. Part of that solution includes answering questions before you put the first drop of paint on that soon-to-be fancy ride. \u201cWe\u2019re happy to share tips and techniques. We walk them through the process and give them tips. You can walk out of here with $1,000 worth of stuff – why let them mess it up?,” said Richard Christiansen. One of the many reasons customers flock to Stevenson\u2019s Paint, is that their prices are very competitive, too. Good advice and a fair price.<\/p>\n
While the store has been here for half a century selling paints to the car people; brother Mike has been there for over half that time having come aboard in 1984. Nine years later, his brother Richard signed up for work and hasn\u2019t left since. They bring their dad\u2019s experience with them as well, so you can be sure that you\u2019ll get a good answer to your question or maybe even find they can give you a tip about something you haven\u2019t even thought of yet.<\/p>\n
Now let\u2019s talk about that ride, shall we? Some of us car folks want to put a finish on our rides that\u2019s so shiny you won\u2019t need your mirror in the morning to shave – just step out into the garage. There are also more and more people who are choosing to paint up that machine so it looks like it just got primered and that\u2019s it. Richard talked to us about this process and said that it used to be that people would just primer a car and they were done, but primers aren\u2019t designed to withstand the elements like paint is. So, today, there are paints available that look just like primer but are designed to withstand all the rigors of a proper paint. What\u2019s more, you can get these primers in a whole bunch of different colors, so if you\u2019re like this writer, and your wife wants to paint her \u201860 Corvair in purple primer to match the animal print interior, Stevenson\u2019s paint can hook you up. What can you do?\u00a0 – A pin-up doll should drive what she wants.<\/p>\n
So, if you\u2019re looking for old-fashioned good advice about the most modern paints and you want to buy that paint at a competitive price, your next trip to the Pomona Swap Meet should include a stop at Stevenson\u2019s Paints. You will find them on Road 24, Spaces 15 & 17.\u00a0You can even contact them in advance, at 310.834.5244\u00a0and your paint can be waiting for you right at the show. Now that\u2019s a piece of good advice right there.<\/p>\n
This article was written by Tony Barthel from the Curbside Auto Column and Car Show Calendar. For auto articles, news and an on-line calendar of automotive events, please visit www.curbside.tv<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n
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