There were several large paint manufacturers around Tampa in the 1950s. Mary Carter Paints distributed its products to other retailers, establishing factory stores in Tampa and St. Petersburg. However, there is also a more fascinating side to the company. According to a report in the Tampa Times, the company's principals decided that paint was boring and searched for a new, more lucrative business. In the mid-1960s, they bought property on Paradise Island in the Bahamas from A&P Supermarket and opened a casino.

The corporation soon dropped the Mary Carter Paint brand and renamed the company Resorts International. Some reports indicate that the company partnered with a convicted felon to assist with casino licenses. Other reports state that they did no such thing but eventually moved to New Jersey and opened a casino on 55 acres of the boardwalk there. A comparative photo is difficult here. The paint store’s address was 3809 S. Dale Mabry, so this new photo approximates the potentially subdivided lot. The Goodyear Service Store opened in this location in 1957 at 3813 South Dale Mabry Blvd. A 7-11 store is at 3801 S. Dale Mabry.

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