“A Country Boy Can Survive” … Because of Hendo’s Accessories

Anyone who follows current economic trends with any sense of seriousness can tell you: another recession is not impossible. In fact, on a long enough timeline, it is a certainty. Despite everything we may have learned from the nationwide panic that 2009 visited upon our nation, we would be foolish to dismiss the possibility of its return. Les Henderson, owner and operator of Hendo’s Accessories in Yakima, Washington is aware of the possibilities, of course. But he seems pleasantly unbothered by modern-day doomsayers. Defiant, almost. He has a profoundly American approach to the maybes of the future; it is simply nothing new to him and his business. His faith is in the high-quality service he provides to the people in his tight-knit community.

“I’m old school,” Henderson explains. “My dad says, ‘Your word is your everything.’ So, if your word isn’t Loyalty, then you’re not going to be very strong at all.”

And it’s no secret where they’re from: Hendo’s Accessories is strong. They’ve been through this before. When the do-it-all auto shop that Henderson built on his own survived the greatest economic downturn since Herbert Hoover’s presidency, it was less than a decade old. And a decade later, as he sits on the precipice of a successful retirement, his business is as strong as it has ever been.

Hard Work Pays Off

He cites a number of reasons for its indestructibility, despite the circumstances foisted upon him by the corporate wolves of Wall Street. Work ethic being paramount. His father’s tutelage being another. But mostly, the absolutely bulletproof economic shield that grit and determination provide the working people in even the most remote areas of the United States.

What helped the most, when weathering the storm through the recession with a fledgling business? Henderson credits the rural residents of his home area, and their need to get things done on their own terms, regardless of whether or not the suits in D.C. would come to the rescue. “We have a lot of farmers and all that,” Henderson explains, “so it really didn’t affect us like it did everybody else.”

It’s that simple. Farmers, hunters, fisherman, outdoorsmen of all kinds, and plain ol’ country folk kept the business afloat, hiring Henderson and his team for jobs that they simply needed to have done, regardless of the economy.

“They rough it up here”, he chuckles.

Hunting is a major part of rural Yakima’s culture, so plenty of customers were looking for truck bed customization, equipped with a back-end winch to lift and haul animals. Fishermen needed cool-keeping tinted windows, LEDs, and CB radios for their boats in the summertime. Heated seats to keep customers warm when braving the elements. And of course, every rural resident with a driver’s license in those parts is looking for top-notch LED headlights and bigger, more aggressive tires to get where they need to go. Custom stereo and speaker work not only in automotive, but also marine. Hendo’s Accessories can do it all.

A Lifetime in the Biz

Les Henderson has been preparing to be this pillar of Yakima’s outdoor community for nearly his whole life. He got his unofficial start in the business when he was just six years old, watching his uncle work on cars in his mother’s garage. He was hooked from there. When he came into his own, he spent a decade doing body work at Valley Ford Auto Body in Yakima, customizing all types of rigs. His talent led people to suggest he ought to be doing these jobs for himself.

And Henderson agreed. He had already been doing work at home for family and friends anyway, why not make it official?

After looking into the business end of things further, and finding places like Keystone Automotive where he could buy product to sell and install, the ball got rolling. By 1998, Henderson was in business for himself, and Hendo’s Accessories was born. And he couldn’t seem happier to be doing the work that he does, for the people in a community that he, as a hunter and fisherman himself, feels so connected to.

“I love working on vehicles, because it’s something different every day,” Les tells us. “You’re never working on the same thing. And dealing with customers that you can appreciate, and they trust you to work on their vehicles. And to get it right the first time? That’s our main concern. And to build trust.”

Quality Products, Well-Known Names

One way that Henderson’s business cultivates that trust is by only installing quality equipment. In fact, it’s something that Hendo’s Accessories has been committed to since the day it opened its doors.

With the wide-ranging variety of jobs that Les and his two employees tackle, from boats to truck beds to speakers to tires to you name it, plenty of brands have made their way through his shop doors. But there are a certain few he works with and trusts on a regular basis.

Rancho shocks and Fabtech components keep plenty of suspensions in good shape in the Pacific Northwest. In such a rainy climate, WeatherTech seat covers and Husky floors liners are practically essentials. Vision X and RECON LED lights are frequent installs for Henderson and his team. Armor from companies like Iron Cross and Westin offer protection on those washboard roads that were designed for the local logging industry, and Avis bug shields are also a common add-on. For the many stereo jobs Hendo’s Accessories takes on, names like Diamond and Arc audio are simply some of the most trusted in the industry.

Be Prepared

So, will there be another recession around the corner? You can bet that there will be a downturn of some sort in the economy eventually. Even in the automotive aftermarket, dark clouds can already be seen gathering on the horizon. Henderson can point some of them out specifically. 2019 Ford trucks, for example, have integrated sensors that make customized lighting practically impossible right now. Remote starts, once a popular install job, are now included by auto manufacturers on a regular basis. OEMs are making more complex vehicles than ever before, always trying to get a leg up on the plucky aftermarket. And did we mention those tariffs?

Always stoic, Henderson keeps his poker face about the changes the industry faces. He and his team have made a practice of picking up new rigs from their local dealership. Studying them. Learning all there is to know, and seeing where Hendo’s Accessories can make their improvements.

“I’m prepped for it,” he says. Confident and stoic, but never cocky.

Whether Henderson will still be in the business to see the changes ahead has yet to be determined, with a retirement and some long overdue personal time slated in the not-so-distant future. But the hardworking folks of Yakima, Washington can rest assured, whoever he picks as his successor at Hendo’s Accessories will be given a master class in how to survive an ever-changing industry from a true automotive black belt.