To bring the best out of people, you have to place them in a safe, nurturing environment. WEV has done that for me by providing services and financing to expand my business at a time when no bank would. Two successful retail locations and seven new good jobs later, Z Folio Gallery is thriving, and having fun in the process. Thank you, WEV, for trusting in me! Will you join me in supporting the very important work of WEV?

Raised is a small farming village, behind an iron curtain that divided east and west, communism from capitalism, Zdena of Z Folio Gallery has taken the entrepreneurial spirit by a storm. Z Folio Gallery began with a suitcase stuffed with optical crystals destined for the Victorian Christmas Street Fair held annually in Nevada City, California. The crystals were displayed in the frosty winter evening lit by flashlights dangling from poles. I invested my life savings in a world class inventory of art glass representing the most contemporary designs from my native Czech Republic’s 700 year glassmaking tradition. To do this I had to establish credibility and solid international business relationships with leading producers and museum quality artists. I had to select from thousands of designs and form a collection that would appeal to discriminating collectors and galleries. I traveled to cities like Las Vegas, Carmel, Portland, Seattle, Laguna Beach, La Jolla, San Diego, Palm Springs, and Montecito, walk the streets and cold-called on prospective wholesale clients. Mind you, at this time I had only been in the United States three short years and was taking philosophy (not business) classes as a foreign student at Santa Barbara City College.

I had developed ten to fifteen steady wholesale clients, took night and online courses in Photoshop, web design, Excel, QuickBooks, accounting, marketing, was stiffed by con-men on prestigious El Paseo Drive in Palm Springs, expanded my product base, cultivated more knowledge and experience in the field of art glass, negotiated international shipping terms, argued with customs brokers, filed business and tax forms, while operating on slim, often disappointing, consignment margins. 

Then it happened - I needed a small business loan to finance a substantial increase in inventory for the holidays. Traditional banks turned me down. I turned to WEV, met with a counselor, met with a loan officer, wrote my first business plan, applied and was approved. 

Based on the experience I obtained working with WEV it became apparent that a retail gallery would be a much stronger business model. For six months I explored venues in Ojai, Montecito, Santa Barbara and Solvang. Each location represented different market segments, opportunities and challenges. Start out as a small fish in a big pond like Santa Barbara or a big fish in a small but bustling community like the Santa Inez Valley? A decision was made – Solvang – the new southern gateway to California’s legendary wine country.

Location, location, location. My wholesale business was run out of a rented garage. The soon to be Z Folio Gallery was destined for Copenhagen Drive, in the very heart of Solvang. Still, popular imported art glass and the shrinking international exchange rates were not stable enough to support a thriving retail operation. Designer jewelry was offered by many of my wholesale customers. Z Folio would offer both, designer jewelry and contemporary art glass. What did I know about the jewelry business? Of the thousands of designers, which collections and at what cost should or could I offer? Jewelry meant expensive display cases, safes, insurance, increased risk of robbery.

Again I turned to WEV, who wisely recommended that with my prior history and experience I could apply and qualify for a conventional small business loan from a traditional lending institution, Santa Barbara Bank and Trust. I took that advice and qualified; negotiated a good lease in the most prominent part of town, and dashed to the largest wholesale jewelry tradeshow in the U.S., the massive and prestigious JCK event held in Las Vegas. Here I complimented my online search and decided on my line of designer jewelry. Then it was home to lay out stock parquet wood flooring obtained from seven different Home Depot locations. In six short weeks from signing the lease I had moved to Solvang, furnished my gallery with classy and low cost custom fixtures, finalized my opening inventory and opened for business just in time for the peak tourist season.

Fast forward three years, during the worst recession since the 1930’s – I was approached by the Cannery Row Company in Monterey and offered a prime retail space next to the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium. Nine months and a Montecito Bank & Trust business loan later, I signed the lease and opened for business in the spring of 2009, again just in time for the peak tourist season. The fifty or so designers and artists that we support are thrilled with our vision and success as much as we are.

From a female foreign student at a city college and a suitcase of glass prisms to an extremely successful retail model - it would not have happened had WEV not seen, encouraged and supported me.

Will you join me in supporting the very important work of WEV?