We caught up with the brilliant and insightful John Henken a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
John, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Going back to the beginning – how did you come up with the idea in the first place?
In June of 2019 I was pushed into retirement roughly 2 years ahead of my plan. Then COVID hit. I had a 29 year history as a Designer/Creative Director in the Tradeshow Exhibit industry, helping major brands market their products and services. I thought about going into consulting, or becoming a realtor, but I wanted to do something creative, fun, and totally my own. My wife and her sister are the fourth generation to operate a custom framing and gifts shop that has been family owned and operated for 129 years. They had an unused portion of their building that had a street facing storefront. I began to brainstorm a business plan to utilize that space.
The challenge was to create a business that complemented theirs, and yet would be a strong enough experience to draw customers in and of itself. But what? I’ve been interested in all aspects of art and design since seeing the Beatles American debut on TV at age 9. Those three minutes inspired me to become a designer/collector/ curator of cool things. I decided to start a highly curated shop offering new and vintage art, furniture, decor, and men’s apparel that celebrates modernism. I named it “SGT. PICKERS” as a wink to the Beatles. The military theme honors my father who was a WWII veteran. I renovated the interior to create a WWII Non Commissioned Officer’s Club. The “face” of the brand is and cartoony vintage cookie jar of a happy GI from the war years. I named him “SGT. PICKERS”.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
In my former design career, I became known for having good instincts about which idea(s) we should pursue out of all the ideas we generated in brainstorming. I’ve been told I “have a good eye” for years. I also worked in a grocery store from High School through college that catered to all strata of society. We had people pulling up in a Mercedes Benz…as well as folks who were wrenching on their cars in the parking lot so that they could get their groceries home! I learned how to listen and connect with a wide variety of people in this first job. Observation, listening, building trust, and coaxing a laugh out of someone I just met are takeaways I gleaned there. In today’s market, a brick and mortar shop needs to offer a truly unique experience or it will be ignored. I wanted SGT. PICKERS to immediately surprise and delight first time visitors and to offer unique items that somehow work together as a whole. The store needed to be a smile maker, and merchandised in a way that encourages purchases from all four product categories: Art, Furniture, Decor, and Apparel. As a Creative Director, I had over 20 years of making Sales calls, and selling conceptual design with nothing more than a portfolio of drawings and a sly smile. Now, because I hunted down everything in the shop…I have stories about my offerings. IStories in today’s world are in high demand. Consumers want more than a product…they want the story behind it.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
I cringe when I hear the term “non-creatives” applied to people. Like all labels…there is an obvious truth to the term…but as a Creative Director/Entrepreneur I know the value of pulling together a smart team that is diverse in experience and vocation. Great creative ideas can come from all corners. I believe that by and large, our educational systems often put fences up to creative thinking. Most artists and designers have stories about the naysayers they encountered in the early part of their personal creative journey. Sadly; many of us are pushed away from creative pursuits by well meaning people around us. Both scenarios create a schism between so called “non creative” and those who have the internal willfulness to press on. Become honest about your strengths and hone them further, even as you expand into areas unfamiliar and perhaps uncomfortable. Be observant and honest about other people’s skill sets and draw the ones near whom might have creative talents beyond your own. Realize you probably have abilities they lack as well. My business has benefited equally from listening to people I trust from a wide range of backgrounds. You need to know a lot of stuff to run a successful business…but you also need to pull people close who know things you don’t. And those collaborations bring the best results and are the most fun!
Any advice for managing a team?
I believe most of us want to make a contribution and enjoy who we work for and with. If as managers we start there, it becomes our responsibility to help people understand our goals as an organization, our ethics as a company, and what their role and responsibilities as a team member are. That seems simple, but it requires good listening skills, keen observation, and consistent follow though on the part of owners/managers. If you solicit an idea from a team member and then choose not to implement it, they need to understand why…and you need to look for something of theirs you can implement and then celebrate their contribution. Make it job number one to create a positive, productive, and fun workplace that people actually want to be a part of…and then do all you can to promote and protect their off work time. I had the horrible responsibility to sometimes break the news to the team that all of us or some of us were needing to work overtime/weekends. I maintained morale/trust by being there working with them…but making my own contributions…not not micromanaging. Employees want to know what their piece of the project is and to be given the resources to accomplish it on their own. They also need to have faith that you and the other team members are there to help if they stumble or freeze. I learned quickly that a big part of my job was to impart accurate information to the team, fight for enough time for them to do the work, and then largely get out of their way! We brainstormed as a team weekly. Sometimes daily. I made sure winning ideas were acknowledged and celebrated. Eventually as a team we were so comfortable and our esprit de corps so strong we often couldn’t remember who’s idea it actually was. I also was vigilant to look for ways to have a fun break from routine. We did inspiration trips to museums, art installations etc. to collect ideas. When we won a big account that no one thought was winnable, I used our portion of the net profit to buy new software, but also set enough aside to take the entire team of designers out for dinner and a concert. There are opportunities all around us to build morale. You must always be looking for them. If you consistently do all these things your team members create and perpetuate a vibrant morale. That’s just as it should be.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sgtpickers.com
- Instagram: @sgtpickers
- Facebook: SGT. Pickers
