By Angie Landsverk

Jacek and Gretchen Peczkowski started Steel Heart, Ltd. in their garage close to 30 years ago.

The humble beginning for their business took place after one of Gretchen’s friends visited them, saw the furniture Jacek had created, and asked why they were not selling it wholesale.

“At the time, Jacek was a welder and robotic techni­cian for A. O. Smith,” Gretchen said. He was on the road for his job — home only every other weekend. Gretchen was home with the couple’s two young daughters.

Jacek had created the furniture from steel — like his grandfather, the village blacksmith he had worked alongside in Poland. Gretchen’s friend knew a thing or two about the furniture business, because she grew up in it. Her father had designed furniture for the wholesale industry.

Since friends and family loved Jacek’s furniture, Gretchen and Jacek decided to run with her friend’s suggestion to start their own business. And in 1997, Jacek began creating furniture and décor out of steel for the wholesale industry.

Regarding the name they chose for the business, Gretchen said, “Jacek and I came up with the name of our business on our own. I really don’t recall all the details of how we came up with it — only that we knew we wanted the word ‘steel,’ ‘iron,’ or ‘metal’ in it, and that it was to portray his love of working with steel. Being that the business is incorporated, we added ‘Ltd.’ on the end. Steel Heart, Ltd. it was!”

The business has been a work in progress since its founding. “We could not produce everything we needed to in our garage, so we rented space in an old factory,” Gretchen said. “The retail gift shop followed a few years later as locals wanted to purchase direct from Steel Heart, Ltd.”

In 2000, they relocated to the Starline Building in Harvard, Illinois. “As the business grew, we expanded into a larger shop and showroom. The historic brick building was complete with skylights and high ceilings, which lent themselves to the garden décor that we also sold wholesale,” she said.

Seven years later, the Peczkowski family purchased and moved to The House of Seven Gables in Harvard, a small community of about 10,000 people on the northern edge of McHenry County. That has been their home ever since.

Harvard is a few miles south of the Illinois/Wisconsin border. “We are halfway between Chicago and Milwaukee, as well as being about 20 minutes from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, which is a very popular vacation spot for Chicagoans,” Gretchen said. “Harvard Milk Days, which began in 1942, is the town’s largest festival. It is a tribute to the dairy farmers and continues even today. When driving through Harvard, you will see Harmilda — the cow statue located at the five points crossroads.”

After renovating their house, Jacek and Gretchen got to work on turning the barn from the early 1800s into a retail location. Said to have once harbored slaves during the Underground Railroad, the barn was known to area residents. The property is also on a portion of Big Foot Prairie — once home to the Potawatomi.

Challenges They Faced

The couple’s two daughters were young when they started Steel Heart, Ltd. from scratch. Running a small business is challenging, and they were also raising their children.

There were additional challenges. “We went to the Atlanta Gift Mart and had a booth in the Temporaries right after we started our business. Someone at the Mart told us to have about 10,000 brochures, so we brought 10,000 four-color brochures — and handed out maybe 200,” Gretchen said.

Another one was related to their space. “We rented our first production location and after fixing it up how we needed it and ran electricity, our landlord asked us to move to a different building he had,” she said.

And there were more things Jacek and Gretchen faced. “Over the years, we have had designs copied. We have had our manufac­turers sell us out to other companies, large companies place orders and then ask us to take the product back because they printed the wrong picture in their catalog so they needed us to make that prod­uct, inflation, the economy crash in 2008 right after we purchased our new home/barn, the COVID-19 pandemic, and other major challenges that about did us in. We overcame these challenges by having a strong faith in God. He has always seen us through, bring­ing the right people along at just the perfect time,” Gretchen said.

Steel Heart, Ltd. did not have a specific turning point. “There have been many over the past almost 30 years since we started,” she said.

Gretchen said today, they carve out time to spend with their two grand princesses and family. They travel to wholesale and retail shows, work alongside employees, do bookwork, handle customer service, and run social media. They also design and oversee production of products, including importing and warehousing. In addition, they maintain their buildings, gardens, and 30 acres on which they are located.

Years ago, Jacek and Gretchen attended wholesale cash and carry shows across the country and had reps in all 50 states. “As the retail and wholesale world has changed, we now attend a handful of retail shows and no longer attend wholesale cash and carry shows,” she said.

Gretchen said, “With both wholesale and retail being merged into one business, there are some perks, such as advertising our retail shop when we attend both types of shows. Seeing what is trending and what styles, designs, and colors are popular is really helpful. Something to keep in mind is that geographical location plays a big part in styles and colors of products.”

Serving Their Customers

Of course, Jacek and Gretchen sell Steel Heart, Ltd. products in their gift shop. But they also sell products from local businesses and from companies that they discover at shows. “We sell local honey, mittens from reclaimed wool sweaters made by a friend, mandala art from a local artist, rare trees and conifers, and we will begin selling peonies in the next few years (we have over 2,000),” Gretchen said.

Through the years, they have added product lines that lend themselves to country life, gardening, metal items from other countries, and blown glass from a factory in Poland. She noted a friend of Jacek’s lived in the town where the glass is from. Gretchen and Jacek also work with ministries that help refugees and try to incorporate that into their business somehow.

With their gardens and ability to display pieces outdoors, she said their outdoor products sell well. “We also sell hand-chiseled stone pieces for the outdoors. At Christmas, though, we sell gift items and décor and bring in products from Oak Street Wholesale, Inc. and Creative Co-op,” Gretchen said. “Our star products remain Steel Heart, Ltd. products — both Christmas and year-round. Birdhouses, bird feeders, suet holders, metal flowers, and bead and bell trees are year-round bestsellers.”

They have an online store for both wholesale and retail. “We ship our items. However, some of them can only ship common carrier, so those items do not lend themselves to retail,” Gretchen explained. “The customer is better off purchasing that item from one of our wholesale customers. We are happy to let the retail customer know who carries our products in their area.”

What makes their shop different from others in their area? “We do not carry the usual brands found in gift stores. We have gardens customers can wander through, as well as outdoor sitting areas,” she said. “We are located out in the country and not in a town or city. The barn itself is a reason for people to visit.”

Many things contribute to the store’s success. Gretchen said, “We love to listen to our customers and let them know we truly appreciate their business. We continually change out our products and add to them for the different seasons. We maintain high-quality products. We run product specials. We communicate through emails and social media.”

Their shop’s typical customers are garden club members, couples aged 45 and over, women, and owners of new homes. “We greet our customers as they walk in the door and ask if they are looking for anything special that day. We try to get to know them and make their visit feel more personable,” Gretchen said. “If we don’t have what they are looking for and they ask if we know where they can buy a certain item, we are happy to share that information (if we know). We wrap and put their purchase in a nice gift bag. Our employees go above and beyond for our customers!”

She said they help customers pick out and put together products for the special look they are going for. “Jacek has a vast knowledge of plants and flowers, so he is always happy to help our customers choose the correct trellis, plant stand, etc.,” Gretchen said. “We accept credit cards and do not charge a processing fee. We try to accommodate customers should they have special requests. We are open seven days a week, 10 months out of the year (closed on major holidays).”

Gretchen shared some of the things she has heard customers say about the gift shop. Some describe it as a hidden gem, and others say they plan to return or need to tell their friends about it.

One customer said, “I like shopping here because everything is unique and not what you can find everywhere else.” Visitors also comment on the friendly employees and beautiful gardens.

The barn hosts many classes and special events. Their “On the Prairie” events are held throughout the year. When Jacek and Gretchen began advertising and promoting those events, she said customers started learning more about their property’s history, while also enjoying the exquisite gardens Jacek designed and built.

The subjects of the classes include mandala and window deco­rating. “We are going to add more classes now that we have finished the downstairs of our barn shop,” she said.

Gretchen’s favorite event is Kids Shopping with Santa’s Elves, which takes place during Christmas on the Prairie. “We price some of our items at prices children can afford. Children 12 and under have Santa’s elves choose, wrap, and tag their gifts,” she said. “At the checkout counter, each child gets a gift bag from Steel Heart, Ltd. Hot cocoa and cookies are there for the children and others.”

Their most successful marketing strategies are emails and Face­book — especially going live on Facebook. Jacek and Gretchen are also connected to their community. They work with schools and donate to organizations.

In addition, they work on community events and attend them, shop locally for gifts, eat at local restaurants, and display business cards from local businesses in their shop. Gretchen said, “Steel Heart, Ltd. continues because of God. God brings the right people at the right time!”

Her advice for those who recently opened a shop is, “Be you — not your neighbor. Find your niche and make it happen. There will be good times and bad times — press on. Remember where you came from. Every five years, your business will change/evolve. Never burn bridges.”

FACTS AT A GLANCE

Business Name: Steel Heart, Ltd.
Location: 10308 N. U.S. Hwy. 14, Harvard, IL 60033
Website: steelheartltd.com
Email: steelheartltd@gmail.com
Phone: 815-943-3465
Employees: Four
Size: 4,000 sq. ft. (upper level of barn)
Trade Shows Attended: Atlanta Gift Mart, Cultivate
Product Categories: Garden décor, home décor, trees, flowers, outdoor living
Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok