Henn Workshops Review and Profile

Henn Workshops no longer appears to be active as a direct sales company.

Henn Workshops was a party-plan direct-sales company rather than a conventional MLM with a clearly documented multilevel compensation structure. The original business is closed.

Original Npros business profile for Henn Workshops, preserved below for archival purposes:

Henn Workshops, also known as The Workshops of Gerald E. Henn, was founded by Gerald Henn in 1982 on his family's homestead near Warren, Ohio. The company specialized in American country-style home furnishings and reproductions inspired by eighteenth- and nineteenth-century craftsmanship. Its product line included handwoven baskets, spongeware pottery, bakeware, dinnerware, serving pieces, Shaker-style wooden boxes, candles, wrought-iron accessories and seasonal collectibles. The business grew into a substantial regional manufacturer: in 2004 it reported approximately $20 million in annual sales and employed 115 people at its Lordstown basket operation and another 85 at its New Waterford pottery facility.

Henn Workshops sold its products primarily through independent consultants who conducted home parties and product demonstrations. Hosts could receive free or discounted merchandise based on party sales, while consultants earned income from customer orders. Although Henn was sometimes included in MLM and network-marketing directories, its documented business model was principally party-plan direct selling; a reliable public record of a substantial multilevel recruiting or downline compensation program was not identified. In March 2008, Henn discontinued its consultant home-party program and shifted sales to "preferred customers," while announcing plans to expand Internet sales. At that time, the company was already contracting from its earlier peak.

The original Henn Workshops is no longer active. A former Henn consultant reported that the company was completely out of business by mid-September 2009, although its museum store and remaining-inventory sales continued for a period after manufacturing and consultant operations ended. Henn pottery and baskets remain available through collectors and resale marketplaces.