Come Work at Meininger’s 🎨
Fill this out to tell us about you, your superpowers, and how you like to work—then we’ll read it with a real human.
Here's our secret: you don't need to know a thing about art supplies to work here. We've been explaining the difference between gouache and gesso since 1881 — we'll happily teach you too. What we can't teach is loving people. If your favorite part of any job has ever been the humans in it, keep reading. Everyone starts in the same role, and after 90 days we start moving you around the store to find where you shine.
Pay and benefits, up front — posted per the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act. Denver store (499 N. Broadway): $19.89–$23.00 per hour. Colorado Springs store (814 S. Tejon): $17.25–$19.50 per hour. Where you start in the range depends on experience; everyone is hourly and paid biweekly. Benefits include paid sick leave and Colorado FAMLI for everyone; a 40% employee discount if you work 20+ hours/week (after 90 days); medical, dental, and vision insurance if you work 24+ hours/week (starting the first of the month after 60 days, with the company paying half the premium); and paid vacation for full-time employees (36+ hours/week). Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.
The Basics
Full name
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First Name
Last Name
Email
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example@example.com
Phone
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Please enter a valid phone number.
Format: (000) 000-0000.
Which store?
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Denver — 499 N. Broadway
Colorado Springs — 814 S. Tejon
Either — I'll go where the art is
You're looking for:
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Full-time
Part-time
Open to either
Days you're generally available
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
When could you start?
Tomorrow, honestly
Within 2 weeks
Within a month
Just testing the waters
Are you legally authorized to work in the U.S.?
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Yes
No
This job involves being on your feet, climbing ladders, and hauling boxes up to 40 lbs. Doable, with or without reasonable accommodation?
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Yes
Let's talk
How'd you find us?
Walked in
A friend or someone on the crew
Instagram or social media
Job posting
I've been shopping here forever
Other
Your Superpower
Everyone's got one. We build the team around them.
Which is closest to yours? Pick the big one.
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People — strangers tell me their life story in line at the grocery store
Organization — I alphabetize things for fun
Social media — I can make anything into content
Making things beautiful — displays, spaces, plates of food, doesn't matter
Fixing and figuring out — broken things and confusing problems find me
Teaching — I can explain anything to anyone
Hustle — I just outwork everybody
Something else entirely (tell us below)
Got a second one?
People — strangers tell me their life story in line at the grocery store
Organization — I alphabetize things for fun
Social media — I can make anything into content
Making things beautiful — displays, spaces, plates of food, doesn't matter
Fixing and figuring out — broken things and confusing problems find me
Teaching — I can explain anything to anyone
Hustle — I just outwork everybody
Something else entirely (tell us below)
Now prove it. Tell us how this superpower shows up in real life — a story, a moment, a thing you built or saved or pulled off. Why is this YOUR thing?
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Your Story
Give us the life story — the short version or the director's cut, your call. Where you've been, what you've done, what you're about. We actually read these.
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Why Meininger's? Why do you think you'd fit here?
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What draws you here? Check all that are true.
I want to work around art and the people who make it
A 145-year-old family store means something to me
I've shopped here and the vibe got me
I want to learn a trade deeply
I want somewhere to stay and grow
I need a job and this one looks way better than the others (respect the honesty)
What Do You Want to Learn?
Nobody walks in knowing everything. Curiosity is the whole job.
Where You've Worked
Give us the quick rundown — places you've worked, what you did there, and roughly when. Doesn't need to be fancy, just complete.
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May we contact your most recent employer?
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Yes
Not yet — please ask me first
No
A reference or two, if you've got them — name, how they know you, and how to reach them.
If you worked here, what would you geek out on first? Check as many as you want.
Oil painting
Acrylics
Watercolor & gouache
Drawing — graphite, charcoal, ink
Pens, markers & lettering
Printmaking
Paper, bookmaking & stationery
Clay & sculpture
Airbrush & spray
Pastels
Custom framing
How a 145-year-old store actually runs
All of it. Everything. Show me.
How do you learn best?
Show me once, I've got it
Let me read and tinker on my own
Repetition — I need reps
Throw me in the deep end
The Top Fives
Tell us who you are without telling us who you are.
Top five books
Top five albums
Top five movies
Favorite art era or movement — Impressionism, Bauhaus, graffiti, whatever moves you
Favorite color. Be specific — we stock about three hundred of them.
Bonus: favorite pen, if you have one. We all carry one.
How You Work
Honest instincts. No trick questions.
Busy Saturday. You're helping someone pick brushes, the phone's ringing, a line's forming at the register. First move?
Excuse myself briefly, hop on the register, circle back
Flag a coworker, stay with my person
Grab the phone — it takes ten seconds
Finish with my customer, then work down the list
A customer is frustrated about a return we technically shouldn't take. You'd:
Find a way to say yes
Warm no, offer store credit
That's a manager call
Read the person, then decide
Store's dead quiet, nothing assigned. What do you reach for?
Straighten shelves
Play with products and learn them
Deep clean something forgotten
Ask what's needed most
Restock from the back
You realize you rang something up wrong an hour ago. You:
Tell the manager right away
Quietly fix it myself
Mention it at end of shift
Let it slide — it was small
Pick the three words a former coworker would use for you
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Dependable
Creative
Fast
Patient
Funny
Detail-obsessed
Calm under pressure
Curious
Warm
Organized
Honest
Scrappy
The Resume
Totally optional, but highly encouraged: skip the normal resume — the form above already told us the facts. Instead, if the spirit moves you, draw it. Paint it. Collage it. Stick figures welcome — this is about heart, not craft. Upload a photo here, or bring it into the store like it's 1881.
Upload a File
Drag and drop files here
Choose a file
Cancel
of
Your resume plan:
It's uploaded above
I'm bringing it in person
I'll let the application speak for itself
Both upload and in person, because I'm an overachiever
Anything else? The floor is yours.
I certify my answers are true and complete, including my top five albums.
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I agree
H.R. Meininger Co. is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants of every background and consider everyone without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected status. One note on the open-ended questions: share whatever you like, but there's no need to include personal details like age, family, or health — none of that factors into hiring here.
The small print, because every good store has some: This application is not a contract of employment. Employment with H.R. Meininger Co. is at-will, meaning either party may end it at any time, with or without cause or notice. By submitting, you certify your answers are true and complete and understand that misrepresentations may result in non-hire or, if discovered later, separation. You authorize us to verify the information provided and to contact the references and employers you've permitted above. If you need an accommodation for any part of this application or hiring process, just tell us — we'll figure it out together. Applications are kept on file and considered for openings for 12 months. Est. 1881, and we still read the fine print too.
Thanks for applying. A real human reads every one of these — usually out loud, to whoever's nearby, with commentary. We'll be in touch.
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