NASHVILLE, TN ? While U.S. manufacturing has slowed throughout the Great Recession and hit another speed bump during the government shutdown, independently owned Small Wall^® has enjoyed double-digit growth that has nearly doubled sales from one year to the next.

"From last year, we're up 67 percent, and last year we were up 45 percent from the year before that," said Small Wall founder and owner Julie Boney, who brought the adhesive-backed paint sample boards to the market in 2006. "In fact, we have had double-digit sales growth every year."

Small Wall is a patented sample board system that makes it easier to choose paint colors. End users paint the boards with their desired color, peel off the adhesive strip on the back and place the boards on the walls they wish to paint. The no-mark adhesive backing allows the sample boards to be positioned and repositioned so that they can be seen on various walls, in different lights and in the context of other colors within a room.

Boney attributes Small Wall's continued sales growth to marketing that has raised its awareness among do-it-yourselfers and painting contractors. Boney noted that Small Wall is also gaining ground with interior designers, architects, specifiers and other professionals needing to provide more accurate paint color samples to their clients.

The company is working with contractor companies like ReNEW Paint to provide samples with paint sales. ReNEW Paint is the sole distributor of Amazon Paint, which is a leading manufacturer of recycled latex paint.

Early on, Sherwin-Williams Co. launched the product as part of its faux-finishing program, Faux Impressions. Small Wall can now be found at more than 3,500 Sherwin-Williams stores nationwide. The product also is sold at select Ace Hardware stores, online at Amazon.com and through Lancaster Co. distribution centers.