History of Marquette Wallpaper & Paint

Marquette Wallpaper & Paint, the community's oldest independent paint store, changed ownership in August of 2002. Longtime employees Darryl and Mark Hamari bought the downtown store from Cliff and Pat Frenn. Darryl Hamari has been employed with Marquette Wallpaper & Paint for over thirty years, while Mark has worked at the store for the past five years.

Marquette Wallpaper & Paint first opened in 1946 under the ownership of Richard and Stella White, in what is now the pool room of Remillard's Tavern. Cliff and Pat Frenn bought the store from the Whites in 1969, and due to space limitations moved to the 300 block of South Front St. in 1973, the same year they began selling Benjamin Moore paints. They made the move back to 115 S. Third St. (the current location) in 1980, the year they also picked up the Mautz line of paint. In 1995, they added a very popular Sikkens brand of wood finishing products.

Along with knowledgeable advice and personal service, Marquette Wallpaper & Paint offers a wide variety of home decorating products, from paint and wallpaper to picture framing to window treatments, wood finishes, keys, and even passport photos! They have also been community leaders when it comes to recycling paint.

They estimate that over the years, they've recycled and donated over 1,000 gallons of paint to such worthy local groups as Habitat for Humanity, the Boy Scouts, Janzen House, and the Harbor House Women's Shelter. They have also donated Sikkens products which can be seen on the Pavilion, the Gazebo and throughout Presque Isle Park on the wood structures, to name a few.

Darryl resides in Marquette with his wife Vicki and sons Nick & Adam. Mark also resides in Marquette with his wife Theresa.