West Bloomfield

WB woman creates finger-painting kit

By Eric Czarnik
C & G Staff Writer

WEST BLOOMFIELD — Kari Papadopoulos thinks she has her finger on the pulse of what parents want to give their children.

The West Bloomfield resident recently produced a finger-painting kit called FingerPrints that is being sold in stores and museums across the U.S. and Canada. The kit is produced by ColorGoRound, a company co-founded by Papadopoulos and her stepmother, Sandy Abrams of Commerce Township.

Papadopoulos said the kit will help parents and children bond over art, and it can also be used for educational purposes.

“Finger painting is something anybody can do,” she said. “You’re not coloring outside the lines. It’s just a free-for-all, really. My finger painting can look just as nice as an 18-month-old and vice-versa.”

The idea began about two years ago, when Abrams asked Papadopoulos what she would like for a birthday gift. Papadopoulos said she wanted her young son Matteo to paint a picture, so she could frame it and display it.

So Matteo did some finger-painting, and the framed results astounded both women.

“We thought, well, this is something we can market,” Papadopoulos said.

After asking around and reaching some suppliers, the pair compiled a kit about a year later and had it ready for sale by last July. The kit, which retails for $29.95, comes with an 11-inch-by-14-inch frame, six rainbow paint colors, four sheets of paper, a canvas apron and an artist’s certificate of authenticity.

Although Papadopoulos has an MBA and worked in the flooring and technology industries, founding ColorGoRound carried a learning curve. “Starting a business is a lot different than working in a business for somebody, that’s for sure,” she said.

So far, ColorGoRound’s target markets have been museums, art stores, baby stores and toy stores. She is especially proud to have the support of the Buybuy BABY store and said her product will soon be sold on Bed Bath & Beyond’s Web site. Doing a trade show in New York helped draw attention to the product, she said.

“We got a lot of positive responses, and that’s where we made a lot of our contacts,” she said. “We just hired some reps across the county to get it out there.”

From what Abrams has seen, the kits gives children self-esteem, color recognition and manual dexterity.

“The greatest part — because I’m the grandmother — is there are no batteries required, and they’re not sitting in front of the television,” she said.

In today’s economic climate, Papadopoulos said, she considers herself fortunate to stay afloat and get her business moving. While she is trying to get as many reps out there as possible, she explained that it is difficult to afford advertising at this time. “We kind of wonder what it would be like if we were in a good position, economically speaking,” she said.

Still, she believes that her product fulfills a need among parents and their children — one not measured in dollars. “They’re so proud of their artwork once they see it hanging up and framed,” she said.

For more information about FingerPrints and ColorGoRound, visit http://www.fingerprintskeepsake.com.  

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Eric Czarnik at eczarnik@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1058.