Celebrating my parents: The brains, dedication and hard work behind Henry’s success

Looking back on what it took to build Henry’s into Canada’s greatest camera store

Last week we announced that Henry’s has been acquired by Lynx Equity and is joining the Lynx family of companies. This is very exciting news for us—a realization of the vision my parents established for the business when they bought it in 1983.

I’m thrilled that we’ve found such a great partner in Lynx. They’re a family business, just like us, and we have very similar values. They are fully committed to ensuring continuity for our customers and our employees, and to accelerating our delivery of world-class digital-imaging products and services. I’m staying on as CEO, and I’m very much looking forward to driving our growth even further with the support of the Lynx team.

Proud to be a part of this incredible legacy

My parents, Andrew and Gaye Stein, are both staying on as advisors to the business. Importantly, however, this acquisition will allow them to take a step toward a much-deserved retirement, after a lifetime (my dad started working in the business at the age of 11!) of dedication to Henry’s.

I’d like to pay tribute to them and all that they’ve done to grow a single shop into Canada’s greatest camera store, with 20 locations across the country, a national online presence, and a thriving B2B business.

I’ve written before about the four-generations-long history of our family business . It was never a traditional family business that was just handed down from one generation to the next—there wasn’t money for that. So each generation had to find their own way to buy out the previous one.

Henry’s was an integral part of our lives

There were ups and downs, naturally. But somehow they knew it was worth fighting for. So many small businesses fail, yet my parents had what it took to succeed. And a lot of “what it took” was incredibly hard work and deep dedication. Henry’s was completely integrated into our lives. We talked about it over dinner; we were always at the store downtown for one reason or another; my sister, Amy, and I helped out after school and on PA days; a friend and I were extras in an early Henry’s commercial; ?my first summer job during university was at the store...Henry’s and the Stein family were deeply intertwined.

As you can imagine, my dad worked a lot when I was growing up. It wasn’t unusual for him to work sixteen hours a day, seven days a week. He worked so hard. As CEO today, I have the luxury of leading a big company with lots of resources. In my dad’s time, he was the manager, the owner, the customer service rep, the sales person, the accountant, all in one.

He also had an exceptional way with customers—somehow he was able to connect in a natural, open, fun way that I have always admired; he had a way of intuitively understanding their needs. On top of that he was great at understanding products, how to source and buy them, what was a good deal and what wasn’t... Many of the relationships we have with the largest camera manufacturers in the world today are ones he himself built 40 years ago. His way of dealing with people is what set him apart from everybody else; it truly made Henry’s what it is today.

My mom, for her part, worked equally hard, and I don’t mean just keeping up the household and kids. Henry’s was never a one-person show—my mom was integral to the business. My dad was the face of the company and an incredible businessman, but my mom was absolutely co-owner of the business, working day in and day out behind the scenes. She was often the intuition, the sounding board, the gut-check on a tough decision. She is one of the smartest people I know, with a business sense like no other. Too often all the glory goes to the person with the top job title, but Henry’s would not be what it is today without my mom.

They were, and still are, a true partnership.

Empowering the next generation

Even with all that time and effort, I don’t think any of us ever imagined that we would become the successful, modern, national brand that it is, respected and sought-out by photographers, filmmakers and content creators across the country. I can’t imagine what my grandfather and great-grandfather would think if they were alive to see Henry’s today!

It was truly a privilege to take over as CEO and follow in my father’s footsteps, building on the success of three generations before me. Having watched my parents shape the company over the course of my lifetime gave me the confidence to take it on myself. I will always be very grateful for the way that they empowered me to really own the business, to run it my own way; the learning and growth I’ve experienced have been invaluable.

It has also been a true honour to have my sister, Amy, be deeply involved in the company. Amy and I, as I said, grew up in this business—she’s worked in just about every part of Henry’s. She has a deep passion for Henry’s, always stressing the importance of our customers, our employees, our culture, and our brand. Amy was the biggest champion of any of our philanthropic activities, and she has been instrumental in driving our support of mental health in Canada. Henry’s respected place in the mental health community is a direct result of her work.

We always knew that our parents’ ultimate goal was to sell the business. I was very proud to take the reins and shepherd it until we found the right partner. I’m even more proud to remain at the helm as we enter this next phase of our company’s history.

The legacy continues

We have truly found the right partner in Lynx. I’m thrilled to join the Lynx family, and to have their support as we build an even greater legacy in the years to come. And I’m very happy for my parents, who were able to complete this sale in their lifetimes so they can stay on as advisors and see their legacy flourish.

Above all, I want to thank them. For their vision, for the sacrifices they made, for their trust in me, and for building the great Canadian institution that is Henry’s, Canada’s greatest camera store.?