Subscribe 
Q & A time with.... Andriana Spence from Hank & JoJo, the coolest, sporty little knee highs in their class!
Hank and JoJo Retro Tube socks make great gifts for all young ages and are a no brainer when looking for something that's adorable, long lasting, useful and eco-friendly for the lucky kids in your life!
These gorgeous gift sets contain 4 pairs of unisex socks that come in a range of colours your kids will love. The Retro Tube socks come packaged in a beautiful mini tin lunch box that is lead free and printed with food grade ink. Super cute, the lunchbox will quickly become a fun keepsake and carryall for all babies and older kids. Bet you wish now that they came in adult sizes, don't you?
We had a chat with Andriana from Hank & JoJo recently to find the inside story behind the making of this fantastic range!
Q. Tell us a little bit about the business/company (including when you started), and what was your inspiration for starting?
A. Hank & JoJo was started half out of necessity, half out of humor. When I had my first daughter I received tons of adorable socks, but I quickly realized that they do not stay on, and they do not last long. I also had a few pairs of leg warmers for her which were great for covering her legs but I always had to pair them with socks to cover her feet. My thought was, why the heck isn’t there a super long baby sock??? A few months later, Hank & JoJo was born, and I decided to be funny and make them look like old school tube socks, just because I thought that would look hysterical and awesome on a baby.
A. One of my proudest moments was this past Halloween when I took my children to the local Halloween festival in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. We were walking across the park when I came across a family of Royal Tenenbaums. As I got closer I realized the newly walking baby at their feet was also in costume. What was he wearing? Socks none other than Hank & JoJo Retro Baby Tube Socks. This may not seem strange to you, but the parents actually bought them online not knowing that the company was a local company or that they could buy them at a number of stores in NYC. I felt really proud because it was the first time I had ever come across a child wearing one of my products in public, and it was in my very own neighbourhood!
Q. If you had to describe your business/organisation as a ‘person’, in 5 words they would be:
A. 1) Warm 2) Friendly 3) Snarky 4) Protective 5) Happy
Q. Is there a charity/cause close to you, and if so why?
A. Not many people know but each purchase of Hank & JoJo products helps us to donate Infant Tube Socks to The Tiny Miracles Foundation. They build these Homecare Starter Kits for Premature Infants who are ready to go home from the NICU that are full of all the things the family may need once they are home, including our long and teeny socks to keep little legs warm! It's a really great organization. It's not advertised much, but we do enclose a little card in each box of socks to let the customer know how they are helping out these babies and families.
Q. Strangest or funniest work story?
A. Well...like many mothers who own their own business, I work from home. This means you are constantly working on the computer in between meals, snacks, potty breaks and lots of children’s TV shows unfortunately. A few months ago I had a really important phone call with one of my largest accounts, so I set the older one up in front of a movie, and the younger one in her high chair with a pint of blueberries. Long story short, my plan totally failed and the phone call ended with the buyer laughing so hard she said she snarfed her coffee through her nose onto her keyboard. We decided it would be best to converse over email from then on.
Q. What 5 people (living or dead) would you most like to sit down to dinner with, and why?
A. 1) Beethoven: I have played piano all my life and have always been strangely connected to his music and life. I’d love to hear about it first hand.
2) Anthony Bourdain: Because he’s just cool and I think we’d be great eating (and drinking) buddies.
3) Stan Lee: I am not a comic book reader, but I think he’s a genius.
4) Dean Karnazes, the Ultra Marathon Man: I recently began training for a ½ marathon and I’d just like to ask him WHY?????? WHYYYYYYY????!!!!
5) Ivan Spence, my husband: We NEVER get to eat dinner, just the two of us, alone! That would be nice.
Q. If you weren’t in this line of work, instead you would be?
A. Working as a publicist in fashion. That’s what I did in my previous life and I still miss it every day! My PR experience has been invaluable though in my business, because I realized almost everything to do with growing a company involves publicity in one way or another! I also realized that I really like building websites, so if I had a little more html schooling, maybe I’d be a coder?
Q. Greatest lesson learnt?
A. It is always worth trying. If you have a crazy idea, put it down on paper and see if you could try it out on the market. There are so many avenues now for small business owners be it through Etsy, or a template driven e-commerce site, anyone can start a business. You just have to have the confidence and passion to give it a try. If it doesn’t work out, at least you gave it a chance and what you can learn while building your own business is amazingly valuable knowledge you can take with you to any future job.
Hank & JoJo Retro Tube socks are available in four different sizes: infant and newborn ($39.95), baby ($42.95), toddler ($44.95) and kiddie ($46.95). Made from the highest quality bamboo and dyed with AZO-free dyes, kids will love how unbelievably soft the bamboo makes these socks, and parents will love that bamboo has a natural UV protection built right in.
If you'd like to learn more about Hank & JoJo Retro Tube socks, view the whole range here!
0 Comments 
