JANESVILLE — On a warm Thursday in April, what began as a leisurely ride on his motorcycle would change Kellen Henze's life for the next several months.
The owner of Metanoia Tattoo Studio was taking a turn, and the last thing he remembers was waking up in someones yard.
He later learned he was hit by a vehicle and the culprit drove off and. Police found them two days later. But Henze was severely injured, leading to a weeklong stay at the hospital.
He is unable to work for the next few months as he recovers.
To give back, Henze's staff at the tattoo shop decided to organize a flash sale for him that runs May 9.
The studio is charging $50 per tattoo, and 50% of revenue the day of the event comes back to Henze and his family. They'll have 50/50 raffles, hot dogs, snacks, coffee and more from 9 a.m until everyone who signs up is done.
The tattoo's work mostly includes things Henze enjoys, like motorcycles, hotdogs, tacos, "Star Wars," and some more feminine tattoos, like flowers.
Staff lovingly call Henze “pepaw” because of his fatherly nature. They knew they wanted to give back to him.
“I'm happy we can take a little bit of that pressure off of his shoulders so he can just worry about getting back to himself,” Krystal Farmer, an artist with the shop.
Aaron Child has been running the shop while Henze is on the mend. He said Metanoia has community service baked into its business model.
“We try to give back to the community as much as possible,” he said. “I think that's why the community rallies around us when we need it. When you come in here, it’s not just client-business relationships. We treat everyone like family.”
Zeke Moore, a tattooist, said he owes his career to Henze. He met Henze while working at Menards, and never thought he could be anything other than a cashier – but Henze saw something in him.
“I was wanting to do art, and it was like circumstance; he just so happened to be in the area,” Moore said. “Just a couple of months later I was able to come in here (Metanoia) and start my whole tattooing journey. I just really appreciate him taking the chance with me–especially when I'm just some guy off the street.”
Farmer said she had been an artist around five years, and heard of Henze but never thought he would be able to work with a person of his caliber. She got to meet him but while changing shops, she met with him and realized how humble he was.
“He gave me a spot here, and I couldn't be more grateful for all the opportunities he's given me,” she said.
“There aren't many places like this here,” Jeff Bastic, a tattooer who moved from Colorado who settled at Metaonoia after feeling like he was meant to be there.
Child has known Henze 12 years. He sees him as a brother.
Farmer said that for creatives and artists alike, the bounce-back from a major injury can sometimes hurt or destroy a person's career. Small business operators and artists also often don’t have major health insurance backing as do corporate jobs.
“We work for ourselves – we don't have a soft bed to fall on if something messes up our career,” she said.
Child wants people to know that Metanoia aren’t just a loud tattoo shop but they are also part of the community, they give back. Now, one of their own needs some giving.
“We want people to see that we don't just care about loud music and tattoos and mayhem,” he said. “We do care about people, and we care about the people that care about us. Come down, have a good time, have fun.
“See a guy who gives us the medium to be able to do the things that we do, and give back to him,” he added.
