Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Henline.
Hi Chris, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I had a couple of friends in college that introduced me to the world of expensive pens. I then began finding these pens online and flipping them for a small profit to my friends. $20 in college would go a long way!
After college, I got an internship to work on Wall Street in Mergers & Acquisitions. As it was unpaid, I began selling the pens on eBay, and any profits helped to pay for my food and housing during the internship. After the internship was over, the full-time job opportunity that I was offered fell through, so I was forced to move back to my hometown in NC. I now view this as part of God’s plan to get me to where I am today.
I continued selling pens on the side for the greater part of a year, and eventually married my girlfriend, Kylie. We decided to move back to NYC, and continue selling pens to support our living situation. The business continued to grow, but not to the extent that could pay the exorbitant prices in NY, so we decided to move back to the city where I went to college – Greenville, SC. It was a bit of an adjustment, but we love Greenville. There is most anything you could want to do, but it feels like a small town.
When we moved to SC in 2017, we decided to pursue Truphae as a full-time career. Kylie quit her job, and we both worked full-time to try and grow the business. This included the launch of a fountain pen and ink subscription product, which really grew our business to the next level. We were able to hire a couple more people to help with social media marketing, as well as day-to-day operations. In 2019, we opened a brick-and-mortar store in downtown Greenville – one of the only pen-focused stores in the Southeast. We’ve now been here for 3 years, and have a growing staff of 8.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Covid-19 was a tough time for everyone. We had to close our doors during the lockdown, and off and on throughout 2020 and 2021. It seemed one of us was always testing positive, so we would have to close for a couple of weeks to (1) get well, and (2) sanitize the store. This led to a great deal of mental stress as we would have to let down some customers that drove a great distance only to find out that we were sick and unable to open the store that day. It was also financially difficult to close for weeks on end, multiple times throughout those two years – we’re very grateful to be past a great deal of these issues!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We’re a brick-and-mortar store in downtown Greenville, SC, and we focus on pens, paper, and ink. We have fountain pens, rollerball and ballpoint pens, as well as some mechanical pencils. Our writing instruments are manufactured all over the world, and range in price from a $5 to thousands. We also have a subscription box that ranges from $12.99 up to $150/month, and comes with a variety of pens, ink, or a mixture of both. We hope to offer a fun and comfortable space for people to geek out over nice pens, and find the perfect pen for every occasion.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
I’d love to thank our loyal customers and local patrons for all their continued support of our small business. It means the world to us to be able to do what we love, and make a living while doing it!
Pricing:
- $3 and up
Contact Info:
- Website: www.truphaeinc.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truphae_inc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/truphaeinc/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Truphae
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@truphae_inc
Image Credits
@maxdinataledigital
@saycurganphoto
