3/18/25
by Victoria Ritter
While working towards a master’s degree in art, Andy Lenz Sr. was in the midst of a project when he realized he needed a replacement nib for his rapidograph pen. He went to a local store for the part, but they were out of stock. To meet his deadline he ended up buying a whole new pen.
“I came home and I said to my wife (Cynthia Lenz), ‘This town needs an art store!’” Andy recalled. “She said, ‘Well, what are you waiting for?’ And here we are, 66 years later.”
“The first day in business, we sold $20 worth of stuff,” Cynthia recalled. “We realized, wow, we did really great! So, we had a chart starting with $20 and we watched it grow.”
Andy and Cynthia founded Lenz Arts in Santa Cruz, CA, in 1968, first operating out of their apartment, and moved to a storefront the following year. The 900-square-foot space was a former gift store in the Pacific Garden Mall. “It was a good location because it was across from a deli and next to a cigar store,” Cynthia said.
The arts run deep in the Lenz family. “I’ve been working in art since I was 4 years old,” Andy said. He met Cynthia when he was her teacher’s assistant at Chico State. Cynthia, in turn, has a print-making degree and is the paper expert at Lenz Arts.
All of the Lenz kids worked at the store at one point. Today, Lenz Arts is still owned by Andy and Cynthia but operated by their son, Andrew Jr. Andrew received his first paycheck at age 9 by sweeping at the store. He cut his first framing mat when he was 12 years old. “By the time I was 20, I was managing the framing department,” Andrew stated.
Taking the full reins of the store in 2016 felt like a “natural progression,” according to Andrew. Although his parents never pressured him to work at Lenz Arts, he found himself returning to the store. “It’s more than a job – it’s a vocation,” Andrew said. “The store is a Santa Cruz institution.”
A store for artists, by artists
In the 1960s and 1970s, artists in the Santa Cruz area had to visit multiple stores to find materials, as stores tended to specialize in a particular brand.
“At Lenz Arts, we put all of the independent stuff together,” Andy added.
The Lenzes started out by selling Crescent boards and markers, ceramic tools from Kemper Tools and brands including Grumbacher Art, Strathmore, Permanent Pigments and Classic Oil Paint. Cynthia found suppliers through phone books for big cities in California. “When I was buying for the store, I was thinking if this was going to be my studio, what would I want to have,” Cynthia recalled.
“I did pastel work in high school, so pastels were the first thing on the lot for me,” Andy stated. “I also took a materials class at San Fransisco Art Institute, which gave me a heads up on every salesman coming through my front door.”
Andy and Cynthia moved Lenz Arts to its current location in 1972, a 10,000-square-foot building at 142 River Street. Lenz Arts’ current layout is akin to “a treasure hunt,” said Andrew. “Our store has all of the paper together, brushes together, paints together as opposed to being application-focused.”
The store carries a wide range of materials including dyes, paints, brushes, adhesives, printmaking supplies, pencils, markers, pens, canvases, sculpting materials and craft supplies, plus a frame room. Notable brands include Daniel Smith watercolors, Golden acrylics, Gamblin oils and Straussmor Gamblin paper.
The Lenzes curate their inventory by listening to their customers and attending shows; they go to Creativation by Namta every year along with a few distributor shows.
The store is staffed by about 20 full-time and part-time employees. They operate the store six days a week – closed on Sundays – from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Inventory is conducted by a hybrid system, combining a point-of-sale system and personally looking at the quantity on the shelves. “The point-of-sale system makes ringing up people really easy,” Andrew said. “It has a fantastic sale history so you can deep dive on what’s selling and what’s not. But we don’t have a physical inventory in it; instead, we go around and count stuff and order based on what’s on the shelf.”
The Lenzes’ dedication to quality and drive to provide a wide range of products has garnered attention from newcomers and regular customers alike. Andy recalls one time a Parisian gentleman who had a house in Santa Cruz came into the store and proclaimed it to be the best art store in the world.
“It was definitely high praise for sure,” Andy said. “It’s not always about having the largest store with the most inventory – it’s about what you pick to keep in stock.”
Changes and challenges
Both generations have seen changes and overcome challenges as they operated the store. The biggest adjustment was the arrival of computers in the 1980s, which phased out graphic art materials.
“It was a massive, seismic shift in business,” Andrew said. “We tried some things, but there really wasn’t a new thing that replaced that in terms of business. We had to grow the business as best we could.”
Thankfully, the Lenzes had introduced crafting supplies to the store, and these grew in popularity. Other trends that have come and gone include mosaics, coloring books and acrylic pouring.
The store’s relationships with sales reps have also shifted. Andrew remembers how reps used to come to the store, make notes on what items were running low and fill out orders. Eventually, stores were expected to take charge of restocking, and sales reps made fewer visits.
“They might bring new products to show, but even that’s becoming less common as there are fewer reps in the country and they cover larger geographic areas,” Andrew stated. “This makes trade shows more important as you can see and talk to key people with vendors.”
The store has had its share of trials. In 1978, the Lenzes operated a second location in Salinas, CA. Unfortunately, there were not enough customers to keep up with expenses, and the store closed after 15 months, losing about $250,000 in today’s money, according to Andrew. The main store also closed for 12 days when a fire caused damages in March 2002.
Nevertheless, the Lenzes persevered. Cynthia credits the store’s longevity to the family’s dedication, hard work and caring attitude toward customers. The store participates in community events including a local kids’ day and outdoor concerts. Andy and Cynthia were honored with the International Art Materials Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016 for their impact on the fine art materials industry.
A lasting impact
While Lenz Arts is not the only art supply store in the area, customers travel there from near and far due to its convenience, wide selection of materials and customer service. Other stores have come and gone, but Lenz Arts has welcomed generations of customers.
The Lenzes have gotten creative to bring people in their doors. At the store’s first location, Andy took sidewalk chalk and drew footprints leading to the store. In 1988, they started a 24-page monthly buyers guide to inform readers of upcoming sales and engage with the wider public. The current 12-page newsletter continues today with digital copies, physical publications tucked in the newspaper and extras at the store.
“You have to have a continual influx of new customers,” Andrew said. “Our newspaper insert reaches out to the general public and entices them to come to the store.”
Lenz Arts has impacted dozens of people across the years. Former employees have gone on to become university art professors. Customers have had their work featured in galleries and owned by film industry greats including Hans Zimmer, George Lucas and Patty Jenkins.
“One of my customers said, ‘You know, Santa Cruz wouldn’t be the artist community it is without this store,’” Andy stated.
“The things that I am thankful for are all of the relationships that have been developed over the decades, the people that I’ve gotten to meet and the artwork I’ve been able to see,” Andrew said. “The accomplishment isn’t necessarily selling a bunch of art materials, but the relationships that you create in the process.”
