Today we’d like to introduce you to Karen S Brienzo.
Karen, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
“Doing it all is hard work. Having it all makes up for it.”
That line is on a torn up magazine page that has been hanging in my office for 30 years. At first look, you may say it defines me, but “having it all” changed when my husband was diagnosed with aggressive brain cancer.
My good friend Marsha, also an entrepreneur, was not surprised when I told her that as an eight-year-old I was making household crafts and selling them around my Garfield Ridge neighborhood. Business runs in my family blood, but somehow that wasn’t where teenage girls were guided as a college major in the 1970’s. Yes, I’m that old. I received a degree in education from the University of Illinois and went on to teach in the Chicago Public School system followed by a stint in rural Michigan. We had moved to Michigan to follow my husband’s employment until Benjamin (baby #1) arrived, and sweet home Chicago called us back.
Vain enough to think that no one could raise my son better than me, my first business was incorporated. I started a data processing and direct mail advertising business in-home. Teaching would have seen me gone all day, we had a big house, a computer (unheard of in those days), and plenty of minimum wage employees in Blue Island for by-hand and light machine work. Learning the business and becoming a postal consultant was no harder than a college research paper and I also discovered my talent for multitasking and sales. To be an executive and a Mom, I worked around the clock. At night, I would catch up on computer work, during the day my son would stay in the office with me. Often, when a customer would call, one of my employees would answer the phone and put the call on hold. She then took little Benjamin to another room and I handled the sale. Home offices were not yet in vogue, however it played out as though I was in a commercial space. Those were fun times for all of us in my company and I “had it all.” Mail Managers, Inc. is still in business today. Over the years, we’ve expanded to mailing list rental, graphic arts, and printing in addition to machine assembly and USPS business mail consulting.
Necessity reared up again after baby #2, Sam. We lived outside the borders of a preferred school district and searching for educational options, I discovered the Montessori teaching method. With 3 other friends, bringing together different strengths, we started our own non-profit, Council Oak Montessori School. I am proud to say that although it was not a salaried business for me, it is one of the finest things in my life for which I have been a part. We were twice named by Chicago Magazine as one of the best private elementary schools in the city and most importantly my two sons had an exemplary education at Council Oak. Are you starting to see how “doing it all is hard work?” Last year, I retired from the active administration of Council Oak, passing the legacy on to an amazing group who relocated the school to a much larger facility in Blue Island.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I was riding high on life, the boys were in college, business was good, and for fun, I had become a SCUBA instructor, but then I got a life changing phone call. My husband was in the emergency room. For the next two years, through two brain surgeries, expensive experimental drugs and hours of hopeful conversation…Ken eventually died.
I didn’t want to use Ken’s life insurance money for bills. The need for direct mail was starting to be upstaged by email. Due to the 2008 recession, many Mail Managers non-profit customers were feeling a financial squeeze and dropped the frequency of their mailings. The economy was bad and money for advertising tight. I soul searched my talents, education, connections, and business reputation for something additional. Within a year, I purchased my most exciting business of all, The Jack Denst Design Company.
So your company, Jack Denst – Chicago, isn’t the typical company. Can you help our readers understand the company, how it came about and what you are most proud of?
I pinch myself to be reminded that I own the life’s work of an international mid-century modern iconic interior designer/artist, Jack Denst. Most famous for wallcoverings, Denst counted his prolific career in design collections, not years. He was a disciple of the famous Bauhaus movement in America, personally mentored by Moholy-Nagy at the Institute of Design. Denst found his wallcoverings and murals in the enviable position of an art form in the interior design field. Jack Denst work is archived in the Smithsonian Museum and the Chicago Historical Society. Various galleries of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, have displayed his wallcoverings as modern art. This new venture was just the “shot in the arm” I needed to get excited about business again. How I learned of the Denst collection and acquired this company is a novella within itself. I’ll just say that it culminated with three months of unsuccessful negotiations with the previous owner, followed by a risky move. With a sizable cashier’s check in hand and on 2 days’ notice, I flew to Arizona for a face to face with the owner. My goal was to return with a signed MOU and product samples. I was successful and two months later, lock, stock, and barrel were shipped to Chicago. This historic collection of designs was finally in my ownership and possession. I invite you to view our designs at www.jackdenst.com.
A side note. Twice during that summer of negotiations, I visited Mr. Denst at his home in Sarasota. He had retired before the age of the internet so if surfing the web there is minimal information about him. His health was failing and he was weak, but we had lovely and emotional visits. I told him I would make his name big again. With much effort, Jack signed a wallpaper book for me saying. “I’m drunk on love and cheap muscatel.” His strength was gone but not his lifelong wit!
The new company, Jack Denst – Chicago, under my aggressive ownership is using today’s technology for far-reaching possibilities with 400 plus timeless designs and murals. Since my ownership, the art has been curated, cleaned, photographed and scanned while additionally I learned the wallcovering business and interviewed designers in key markets. My team of professionals runs from sales in Las Vegas to production in Tennessee with our home office right here in a Chicago suburb. We have produced “Jack” in glass at a Chicago NeoCon design show, we digitally printed “Jack” for an HGTV segment of Kitchen Crashers, and I received a “thumbs up” from venture capitalist Daymond John while appearing in a Chicago Shark Tank event hosted by N’DIGO magazine. Local public installations include the Palomar Hotel’s Sable dining room and Everything’s Relative Salon, to name a few. Licensing the designs has recently become part of our business plan, with a fabric/soft houseware line soon to be produced by MagMile Brand. Currently, we sell screen printed wallcoverings, gallery size prints, murals, as well as products in glass, tile, and granite.
Production products aside, it is rarely dull at Jack Denst. This year: a lady in Ireland emailed about a roll of wallpaper from the 1960’s hoping to buy more; a Hollywood videographer wants to do a documentary; a family in Madison with a full-scale mural requested the value for insurance reasons; and an interior design firm in Ankara wishes to be an exclusive distributor in Turkey.
Over the years, the Denst family members have played a big role in my joy of ownership. We recently collaborated on the Jack Denst Estate Gallery, consisting of his personal art in many mediums. Our public receptions often end with a glass of champagne in hand. Rumor has it that drinking alcohol was totally in character with Jack’s design process.
What is your definition of success?
Have fun, without hurting others. Remain optimistic in all things. Provide energy and comfort to those you care about. Make a living doing worthwhile work. Share your gifts with those less fortunate. Take time to drink beer with scuba buddies and champagne at the theatre. Leave a proud legacy.
Doing it all is still hard work… having it all, well, I’m almost there again!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jackdenst.com
- Phone: 708-371-0371
- Email: info@jackdenst
- Facebook: Jack Denst
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
