We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Zane Kingcade a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Zane, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

I have always been an artist / craftsman but in my youth it was always just for fun. As i got older i was able to start making money from my different ventures, but it was always on the side from my 9-5 job and that went on for years. At a certain point my mon – fri job was gonna be ending , as my boss was retiring and closing down the shop I worked at. I figured that I was doing ok at the time of what I was doing on the weekends why not try and make a go of it full time, so i made the decision to take my art and crafts stuff more seriously and opened up a little shop. Painting , computer graphics and screenprinting have always been my personal staples of earning a living , and still to this day I am active in all of those plus some such as mural /sign painting and picture framing.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Skateboarding and Graffiti art is probably the biggest influence into what I do for a living. I was always sneaking into the tradeshows that showcase all of my favorite brands ,and as I got more into seeing the business side of things as well as the graphics and sales side of t shirt companies I knew that i wanted to be in this industry , I went to the local Junior collage to learn on my own about photoshop/illustrator and also screenprinting. From there I went on to making my own products as well as designing and printing for local companies. At the time I was working right out of my apartment, the living room was my print shop with my computer and art table on one side , and all the inks and equipment on the other side .. I wish i would have takin pictures of those super humble beginnings, it was totally grassroots , guerrilla marketing at its finest ( this was in the 90’s so internet was barely getting going ,social media wasnt even a thing yet). So i was putting up wheat paste fliers and stickers everywhere in my area advertising my brand .. Eventually that lead to me moving into a garage and soon after my own shop space in 2000 , so Im at 24 years as an official shop in my town. Currently I have a retail location where I sell a lot of different types of art supplies for streetart / sign painting etc. as well as clothing brands that compliment these types of art.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think being honest and building trust with your customers is key. Anybody can sell something to someone one time, but having people come back time and time again , referring there friends and family is how you grow within your community. A lot of my customers were barely getting to adult hood when i started and now they bring there kids and sometimes grandkids to my shop., its a good feeling to see how a lot of people have grown up coming to my shop to ask for help on a project , have me create something, or just stop to say hi.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Word of mouth is what has worked for me , Im more of an old fashioned guy , I dont care for the internet or big box stores . I want my shop to be a social place where you can come in pick up some products and talk to all the other locals that are here , I like that small town old school style of business even if Im not in that type of situation . Its certainly not the smartest way to do business, but its what I like , so thats how I run my business. People have been referring there friends and family for over 2 decades so it must work a little bit , lol

Contact Info:

• Instagram: zanekingcade
• Facebook: zanekingcade
• Linkedin: zanekingcade