Stoke Queenstown's new Store Manager...
Stoke Queenstown recently welcomed new Store Manager Henry Jenkins to the team. We caught up with Henry to find out more about his background, expertise and how ended up in New Zealand’s adventure capital.
Hi Henry! Can you fill us in on your background and tell us about the path that led you to Stoke Queenstown?
I have always been involved in technical sales one way or another. Prior to 2008 I was working for a fireplace and fire installation company in the UK when the GFC hit and I was made redundant. At this point I retrained as a gas registered plumber and heating engineer and ran my own business through the recession.
I moved from the UK to Queenstown about 6 and half years ago and due to a stubborn injury obtained whilst on the tools, I moved back into the technical sales side of things. For the last 4 years I was a technical sales rep that looked after the entire lower South Island. Stoke Fireplace Studio were one of my customers and when the opportunity arose here it was an obvious choice.
What aspects of Stoke are you most excited about?
I like meeting and engaging with people. I get great satisfaction out of problem solving and finding solutions for them. Also, it’s a dog friendly office!
Stoke provides a full design and project management service for customers. Can you please talk us through the process you go through with customers when purchasing a new fireplace?
There is no set process. Each client is different and individual houses or projects can vary wildly too. I could be dealing with the client themselves, their interior designer, their builder or their architect. Every project is different, so we look to identify the needs of the customer and find the best route to a solution – whether that is a practical one, an aesthetic one, or both!
How do you guide clients through the often difficult installation process?
On the trickier projects we will often meet with the builder on-site to discuss requirements and work out solutions and plan ahead. That way we hope to eliminate or avoid any nasty surprises or anything too challenging before it happens.
What design and installation trends are you seeing at the moment in Queenstown? What materials are most popular?
The Spartherm wood fireplaces are certainly gaining momentum. In terms of materials, lots of modern finishes (which can present their own challenges!) like steel, shuttered concrete, tilt slab and rough sawn wood feature walls, to name a few.
Finally, what do you love most about living in Queenstown? What are your picks of Queenstown’s best kept secrets?
The vistas, the changing light, the weather, the fresh air, the people, the buzz.
Now, come on, if I told you all the secrets then they’d no longer be secrets would they!
Visit Henry at Stoke Fireplace Studio Queenstown, 131 Gorge Road or get in touch here.
