Today we’d like to introduce you to Gretchen and Jacek Peczkowski.
Gretchen and Jacek, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Steel Heart, Ltd. began over 20 years ago when a friend of mine (Gretchen’s) asked where our furniture was from. I told Nancy that my husband, Jacek, had designed and made it. She asked if we ever thought of selling it – which was foreign to me as that was not my world. Nancy grew up in that world as her father was a designer of furniture in North Carolina and she was a rep for his company…and so began our adventure into the industry.
Jacek grew up in then-communist Poland and loved working with his grandfather, a village blacksmith. He continued on in the welding trade. In 1985 he escaped from Poland and climbed the mountains from former Yugoslavia into Austria. He was placed in a refugee camp where I (Gretchen) was working with a mission. We were introduced to each other by a refugee who was a mutual friend.
A few months after meeting, my mom was diagnosed with cancer, so I returned to the United States. Jacek immigrated to Quebec, Canada a few months after that. I went to visit him and we were married in February 1987. I returned to Illinois a few days after we were married and we started the paperwork for Jacek to immigrate to the U.S. Finally, he arrived in the U.S. in May 1987.
Jacek worked as a welder and then took classes in robotic welding. It was at this time that Nancy came to visit and the idea was born – start a business selling furniture that Jacek created. Many long hours, sleepless nights, thousands of miles on the road, mistakes with a silver lining, trial and error, prayers and help of family and friends has brought us to where we are today – a leader in the home and garden decor industry.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has most certainly not been a smooth road. We have been through good and bad times with the economy, having customers order thousands of dollars’ worth of product and then telling us they ordered the wrong item (after we had made the original item they ordered), having our designs copied, having a competitor take one of our trade secrets and run with it (a supplier went to them and told them how we finished one of our products), being blatantly lied to by people we purchased property from to move our business to, trying to juggle family time while growing a business, filling in for employees who can’t make it work, bounced checks, products being stolen, and many other struggles.
Steel Heart – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Steel Heart, Ltd. offers choice decor for fine home and garden. We design the majority of our products which are crafted from metal – such as planters, arbors, gazebos, trellises, spinners and much more. Hand-chiseled stone pieces are also for sale – fountains, mill stones, Japanese lanterns, birdbaths and much more. We sell wholesale as well as retail.
Steel Heart, Ltd. is proud to be in business over 20 years and continually offer new products to the home and garden industry. We continue to design products which other companies then copy – we look at this as a compliment. Steel Heart, Ltd. is the leader in the garden decor industry.
I believe our customer service and quality products is what sets us apart in the industry.
Jacek is a welder by trade and had the best welding score in the 100-year history of a company he worked for previously. He is very particular of the welds on our products.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success is having repeat customers. It is easy to sell something to a person once – much harder to have a customer come back to purchase more items. Also, at the end of the day, do I feel I have made a difference to at least one person? I want our customers to know that each one is special to us. The customer who purchases an item for $1 is as important as one who purchases $10,000 worth.
I look at honesty as being really important in everything I do. God has given each of us life and we are entrusted with our piece of the puzzle. I have to do my best with the abilities I have. I expect my employees to do the same. Our customers return because they know we stand behind our product and go out of our way to offer customer service.
Contact Info:
- Address: 208 W. Front Street,
Harvard, IL 60033 - Website: www.steelheartltd.com
- Phone: 815-943-3465
- Email: steelhrt@mc.net
- Instagram: steel_heart_ltd
- Facebook: Steel Heart, LTD
- Yelp: Steel Heart, Ltd.
Image Credit:
Steel Heart, Ltd.
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