He survived almost two years of cast iron water main replacement construction on High Street and started bouncing back and then the COVID-19 pandemic hit.  He wondered if he'd struggle again.  He didn't.  He found the pandemic had both loyal and new customers spending money on home renovations, including painting, and John Hallett from Inspiration Decor MJ was pleased to tell us the stories when we sat down for the 800 CHAB - DiscoverMooseJaw.com Partner Profile. 

Inspiration Decor MJ has all the supplies you need for painting your home.

John has proudly been selling Benjamin Moore Paint for almost 30 years, 18 of those years here in Moose Jaw after moving from Regina. 

"I was working at a Robin's Donuts and got approached by the owner of the Benjamin Moore store in Regina.  He liked my customer service, so I went to work for him there.  I got the opportunity to come and manage the store here (in Moose Jaw) and then eventually took over ownership in 2005 and I've been here ever since," John said with a smile. 

"It was a little scary at first, but everything has worked out great." 

John says while customer service is what he's all about, selling high-quality paint from Benjamin Moore is another thing that keeps customers coming back. 

"Yes, great interior and exterior products.  The Benjamin Moore "Aura" paint is our very best product.  You can re-coat it in an hour, it's got excellent touch-up characteristics, the lower sheen gives you good scrubbing and washing ability so it's one of the ultimate products.  And I've made my store welcoming with a nice homey atmosphere.  You get nice chairs and tables to sit at while you're picking your colours." 

And while many consider Benjamin Moore Paint to be the top-of-the-line, John says there are different price points to choose from. 

"They range anywhere from $50.00 up to $100.00.  It just depends on what quality you want to go to," John explained. 

Inspiration Decor MJ carries top-of-the-line Benjamin Moore products.Like a number of business owners along High Street West in downtown Moose Jaw, John faced some serious challenges not long ago when access to his store was limited by cast iron water main construction - a project that had to be visited a second time when flaws were found.   

"It was a very tough couple of years," John said.  "Honestly, it just about closed me.  It was really tough...they had the front blocked off so once you start having to use different routines you forget where you're going.  But that's about all I'll have to say about that," John chuckled. 

And then, after getting reestablished and seeing increased customer traffic, the pandemic hit us in early 2020.  It was an uncertain time for business owners, including John, but he was pleased to find many locals were taking the down time to fix up their homes. 

"We did really good because there were a lot of people locked-down, they couldn't go out, so they noticed a lot of little stuff that needed to be done in the house, so everybody decided to start spending some money and get their houses back into tip-top shape.  So, business was booming during the lock-down but it's starting to slow down a little bit now that everybody's allowed to go out...but we're still doing alright." 

John was pleased to see new faces in his shop during the pandemic but even more pleased to see familiar faces. 

"A lot of my business comes from repeat customers because when you have good customer service and good, quality products, people like to come back and get the same products again because they know how well they hold up." 

"I've got varnishes for doing cabinets, dressers and doors.  I've got exterior oil-based translucent stains for doing decks and fences and solid colour stains for the exterior and, of course, the good quality paints for the exterior and interior." 

Along with all the paints, stains and varnishes and accessories, you'll also find attractive displays at Inspiration Decor MJ, designed to help you with choosing your products and colours.  In fact, you'll find a custom-built cabinet that houses the Benjamin Moore Designer Classics Colour Preview Studio. 

The colours people choose for both interior and exterior paints have changed over the years and John has seen all the trends. 

"Yes, the trends these days goes by what Pinterest is putting on there.  So, right now, off-whites are very popular but a couple of years ago the dark colours were popular, so it really does depend on what's trending on Pinterest.  But we do have lots of colours to choose from.  Our Infinity Colour Collection has 144 colours that are made to harmoniously go together.  So, all the colours, no matter what grouping you pick from the Infinity Collection will go together." 

John Hallett in front of roughly 3000 paint swatches at Inspiration Decor MJ.

In total, John says he can offer customers about 3000 colours and that does mean some customers have a hard time deciding. 

"Yes, but picking colours is the hardest part of the job so I tell people, don't ever fret about that because it's the hardest part and it takes the longest to do," John laughed. 

John also offers what he calls "colour testers" for customers, just to make sure they're making the right choice. 

"For all of our Benjamin Moore colours, you can buy pint-sized colour testers so you can test the colour - take it home and see what it looks like on your walls before you actually go ahead and buy gallons of it - just to make sure the colours are right to do the whole job." 

Inspiration Decor MJ, located at 380 High Street West in Moose Jaw.  You can park out front and at the back of the business.  You can call John at 306 693 1200 or, drop in and have a look Monday through Friday 8:30 AM until 5:30 PM, Saturdays from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM 

You'll find Inspiration Decor at 380 High Street West in Moose Jaw