This is my grandfather, Walter Ward Henning Sr., the father of my father, Walter Ward Henning Jr. He has many other names, Wally, Daddy, Mr. Henning. But for all of my life I’ve known him simply as “Papaw,” which I still call him to this day, although more often now I refer to him as “Pop” — a term I picked up from my cousins a few years back (I guess “Papaw” was a bit too childish of a term to use as a grown man). He is 84-years-old now and has been doing upholstery for 59 years.
My grandfather began his career in Dyersburg, Tenn., in 1949 at Karpen & Brothers Upholstery. In the 60’s he started working for George Golden Interior Designs, which decorated Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley. My grandfather upholstered several pieces of Elvis’ furniture — he actually used some leftover gold material used for Elvis’ furniture to make belts for my father and a cousin (Man I wish I knew where that belt was today). In 1963 he received his upholstery business license and opened Henning Upholstery on Peabody Avenue in Memphis. He would move to one more location on Cooper Street before settling in the early 70’s into 4144 Maime Road, the only place I have known Henning Upholstery to ever exist.
Growing up I spent many of my younger days during the summer at “Papaw’s Shop.” It was a fun place to hang out at and a boring place all at the same time. The shop was filled with all kinds of neat things for a boy to entertain himself with. There is a vice on his work bench that I must have crushed hundreds of furniture tacks with. And his air stapler was the coolest. You could shoot staples into the wall from across the room. Of course these things would get old real fast and I would spend a lot of time staring at the clock wishing the time by. Of course my grandfather did have a television in his shop, but all I remember him ever watching on it was PTL and The 700 Club (not very entertaining for an 8-year-old).
I spent about an hour with my grandfather at his shop during a visit to Memphis this past week. I wanted to take some photos of him working. Something for the family to have as a remembrance of his legacy after he retires, although he says he’s never going to retire. He was working on the tackiest set of furniture that has ever passed through the doors of his shop. A pair of chairs and a couch that his customer wanted covered in zebra print fabric. That’s right, Zebra print. He had already finished the couch and was working on finishing the chairs. The entire job was one big frustration for him. It had become his albatross. I could see why he didn’t want to retire yet. Would you want to end a 59 year career on a matching set of zebra striped furniture? I understood completely.
The first thing that stikes you when you walk into my grandfather’s shop is how old everything is. The place has a very used, worn in feel to it and most things are covered with a fine layer of dust. He is using a lot of the same tools today that he was using when I was a child. He has tack hammers he still uses daily that I know are older than I am. This is a place of hard work, of dedication. It’s an example I strive to live by, but one that is hard to match. I don't think many from my generation and beyond know what a real hard day's work is.
My grandfather is truly of a dying breed. There aren't many out there today that are willing to put in the time and effort to learn a trade that requires not just hard work, but patience and perseverance. Everyone these days has a "get paid today" mentality as my grandfather puts it. Besides, these days most people will throw out an old couch or chair and buy a new one rather than pay hundreds of dollars to have it re-upholstered and restored to like-new condition. Out with the old, in with the new. Right? Not so much in this case.
Years from now we'll wish there were more like you around Pop. Thank you for the lessons you taught me. Your words, your hard work and your faith will always reside within me, even after you've retired. I'm as proud of you as a grandson can be and I love you Papaw.
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8 comments:
Great photos. My grandfather and his father owned a combination picture framing, carpet and lamp shop in Texarkana, Texas, for many years. I guess you would call it an interiors store now.
They were in this old building downtown off the beaten path. Everything in that place was ancient by the time I was aware of things. The tools were old, the fixtures and wiring were old, the displays were old. Even most of the inventory was old. They had an old-timey Coke machine that dispensed those six ounce bottles for a dime. You didn't put money into the machine, you paid my grandfather the dime and he pulled it out for you. The bathroom walls were adorned with pinup calendars from the 1950s that were hung there in the 1950s and never came down. That's probably where I first saw naked breasts.
Both of them are long gone now and the building was torn down at least 15 years ago. I wish someone had taken some pics of them at work.
What kind of lighting did you use for these?
Don,
Hey. I'm glad you like the photos and thanks for sharing your own memories about your grandfather and great-grandfather.
All of the photos were shot using available light. Had I used flash it would have completely changed what I wanted to document for myself and my family to remember. For his portrait in the lead photo I did use a mechanic's light that was lying nearby to put a bit of fill onto his face.
Hopefully this is just the first round of photos of my grandfather at his shop. I still want to shoot more and plan to return to Memphis sometime later this year. There are many more things around and about the shop I want to preserve in photos before he retires. This is something I've wanted to do for a couple of years now but just didn't have the time during my visits to Memphis. Just like what happened to your grandparents' building, I imagine "Papaw's Shop" will be gone someday and I want to make sure it isn't forgotten.
Marc, it is great that you are not very far from your grandfather. My dad's dad died in 2000 from cancer. One day when i was out on the farm probably earlier that year, I saw my grandfather on the small tractor and I wish I had my camera with me at the time so I could have gotten a photo of him. That is one regret I have. I know my family would have loved it but on his 83rd birthday in 1999 we did family portraits with studio lights at my grandparents house with our entire family. There are now 3 people gone from there...my first cousin Elizabeth, who was only 2 years older than me, my mother, and Papa. So I still have that.
You have wonderful photos and the b&w makes it seem more real to me.
Marc, you did an awesome job of capturing daddy. You have created something for our family that we will have forever. The pictures of his hands are the most memorable to me. I wished he still put tacks in his mouth and used the magnet end of his hammer to pull them out. That was the most fascinating thing to watch as a child and wonder how he never swallowed one. I shared this with Pop & GG and they are really proud of what you've done. Thanks to a magnificent nephew. Love, Aunt Sandra
Thank you Aunt Sandra. Compliments from friends and peers are nice, but coming from a family member is really a meaningful thing. As I mentioned above, I plan to do more of Pop and the shop. Hopefully I can get back there this summer.
Beautiful photos! and thanks for the jacket!
Marc, these photos are incredible! I shared them with Nick, because I have always dreamed that he would, like you, hold Pop as a shining example of what a man should be. The family is remarkably lucky to have such a touching legacy for the future. Thanks for all you do - I know your grandparents appreciate it, and I do too. Love ya!
Thanks Rita! What a pleasant surprise. Nice to hear from you.
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