It started with one jar.
A furniture family's daughter, a designer, a single mom starting over — and the small step that became an empire.
A furniture family in Tennessee
Paula grew up in and around her parents' retail business, then owned furniture stores with her sister Sherry in their small southern hometown — where the love of home interiors and DIY took hold.
The commercial years
As a commercial interior designer, Paula traveled to New York City for large-scale projects — building an eye for finishes, and a frustration with fussy processes.
The first jar
In her 50s, out of a bad marriage and new to Louisville, Kentucky, Paula started revamping furniture to keep her teenage son Braden busy after school. Heirloom Traditions Paint was born in her kitchen.
No prep. No priming. Just clean & paint.
She invented an ALL-IN-ONE formula that eliminated prep work entirely, with a limited palette of 36 trendy colors and the right tools — taking the guesswork out for people who had never painted.
Straight to the painter
Paula pivoted the company direct-to-consumer and taught in public: live videos, techniques, befores-and-afters. A community of hundreds of thousands of DIYers grew around the brand.
Employee-owned
Heirloom Traditions became an ESOP, giving employees ownership in their collective success.
The Queen of Paint
Forbes' nickname stuck. EY Entrepreneur of the Year, a Gold Stevie®, the 22nd fastest-growing women-led business (WPO · JPMorgan Chase) — and the acquisition of a 75-year-old paint manufacturer, expanding the facility in Taylorsville, KY.
The memoir
Just Open the Jar puts the whole path on paper — for anyone convinced they need to tear everything down to start over. It's out now, wherever books are sold.
The legacy
An employee-owned company carrying hundreds of families, American manufacturing in Taylorsville, and a community of DIYers who learned they could start where they are.
- Forbes“Queen of Paint”
- EYEntrepreneur of the Year
- 2024Gold Stevie® Award
- WPO · JPMorgan Chase#22 fastest-growing, women-led
“Meaningful change doesn't require a complete life overhaul, unlimited resources, or perfect timing.”