Soul of 78: Clayton Mehearg
Manager, Jasper Decorating Center
Words by Terrell Manasco | Image by Ryan McGill
If you stop by Jasper Decorating Center for paint or caulking, manager Clayton Mehearg hopes you’ll take one more thing with you.
“I always like for people to leave with a smile, whether they buy anything or not,” he grins.
Born in Wetumpka, Alabama, Clayton moved to Jasper in 1974 when he was six. After graduating from Walker High in 1987, he obtained his associate degree in business from Walker College.
Clayton got his feet wet in the decorating business by working at the store in the early 1990s alongside friend and then-manager Chuck Dunn. After moving on to a few other jobs, including the Department of Human Resources and the Northwest Alabama Mental Health Center, he returned to Jasper Decorating in 2017. Things were initially difficult, Clayton says, because much about the store had changed.
One of three stores owned by O.F. Richter and Sons in Cullman, Jasper Decorating Center deals in paint, deck stain, roller covers, caulking, swimming pool paint, and similar items. The store relocated to 9th Avenue in Jasper after the original building downtown was destroyed by a tornado in 1974.
Clayton has been the store manager since Chuck passed away in early 2021. Known for his dry wit and perpetual unlit cigar clenched in his teeth, “The Paint Doctor,” as he was sometimes called, is sorely missed by customers and friends. "He was a fixture here,” Clayton says.
Covid notwithstanding, Clayton says business has been good, which is no small feat when you’re a one-man show. A typical day may include everything from assisting customers to ordering, mixing paint, restocking shelves, and tidying up the store, but Clayton doesn’t mind. “I enjoy meeting people,” he shrugs.
A rabid sports fanatic, Clayton loves dabbling in Fantasy Football and Baseball. Every summer, he and a group of friends meet to "draft" players and talk sports (he likes the Saints, Titans, and Cowboys.)
In 2014, Clayton teamed with former coach and local historian Pat Morrison to form the Walker County Sports Hall of Fame. The nonprofit organization is located inside the Townley Community Center and features wall-to-wall memorabilia of notable local sports figures. “A lot of people don’t know that the first African-American pitcher to sign in pro baseball was born in Empire,” Clayton says with unmistakable passion. “His name was Dan Bankhead. He signed with the Dodgers about two weeks after Jackie Robinson did. His first time at bat, he hit a home run.”
After relaying that thought, Clayton rises from his chair. It’s time to get back to work—minding the store, helping customers, and, of course, giving away smiles. 78