By ccodez
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06/01/2023

In 25 years, I have only had three complaints, says the South Bohemian Businesswoman of the Year

In the workshop, a calendar with crossed out holidays hangs on the wall. She had to cancel it because of work because she has a lot of orders and can't keep up. Now there are so many of them that they will fill many months ahead.

In addition, she handles all of them herself. A few chairs, a large wardrobe and an old sledge stand by the wall a short distance from the calendar. Right next to it is a ruined chair and a small stroller. He has all that and much more ahead of him.

"Recently, a man from Switzerland contacted me with an order for several dozen chairs. Nothing can be done, I had to cancel my holidays. But in the end, my daughters forced me and bought a stay at Orlík," smiles 54-year-old upholsterer Bedřiška Staňková, South Bohemian Entrepreneur of the Year.

We are sitting at a small wooden table. Who is it for and what do you have to do with it?It is for Dr. Igor Piňos. He came four years ago for the first time like any regular customer. We were having a normal conversation until he gave me his business card and I saw all his titles. Then I started stuttering and he regretted giving it to me. In the end, I made him a whole cottage on Kvilda, where the table will also go. It needs to be completely renovated. It needs to be gently sanded and disassembled by hand. I do everything the old fashioned way. You have to be careful, such things have their age. I have, for example, chairs from 1910.

How much time does one such chair take you?It takes two to three hours to disassemble and dismantle. This one still has old wedges that need to be removed. You then have to make them and harvest them. Dismantling, woodworking and coating will take at least 10 to 12 hours. Right now I have about eight split orders around me. Time is short.

Speaking of history, who does the chair you're talking about belong to?He will go to a man's house and coincidentally also to Kvilda. It is the inheritance he has received.

Bedřiška Staňková (54 years old)

She comes from Ostrov nad Ohří in Karlovy Vary. Her parents moved a lot and headed to southern Bohemia, where Bedřiška Staňková eventually stayed. She managed several different stores and was involved in administration. She is a trained waitress, but the profession has never sustained her long-term. She worked at the Jitona company and later started her own business in the 90s. 10 years ago, she completed her education at an economic high school, so she does accounting in the evenings. She lives in Vimperk and has two daughters. Specializes in upholstery and renovation of antique and modern furniture. At the same time sells home accessories.

What is your favorite thing to repair?In 25 years, I have done an inordinate amount. Every historical thing is interesting to me. When I make older furniture, I think a lot about how carpenters and upholsterers made it. But I also really like retro things.

A while ago you mentioned that you have another order for chairs, this time for Switzerland. Is it possible to choose something interesting from all those things that stuck in your memory?I remember some of them. Coincidentally, one of them is still in Vimperk in the cafe Ve skále, where I like to go. They had a piece there that was supposed to be made in Germany for Adolf Hitler. It is a beautiful sofa with a wooden table. It was made in such a way that its user has every comfort. In 1942, there was supposed to be an exhibition for Hitler in Germany. It never came to fruition, but the furniture was created nonetheless. When I moved the seats three years ago, I was looking at the original material from 1942.

How did the thing get into Vimperk?The person in question got it by a bit of a mistake. A friend invited him abroad, they talked about a cafe and he offered him this piece of furniture. It has been thrown away since it was made. Then I made, for example, armchairs also from the period of the Second World War. An eagle was still depicted on them. I never know what I'm going to get my hands on. Every piece has a history and I like to look for it.

What brought you to the craft?My grandmother was probably my greatest teacher, because during the First Republic she sold furniture in České Budějovice. She went there every day from Netolic. I became independent in 1993. It started with repairs of modern things. When I had a husband, we had a production of sofa sets. Then I started getting these antiques. I was quite afraid of them in the beginning.

In 25 years, I only had three complaints , says the South Bohemian Businesswoman of the Year

What is the main focus of your work today?I make modern things and antiques for museums, boarding houses and hotels in the Czech Republic and abroad. I'm still learning.

You do everything yourself. Have you never wanted to hire an employee?I have hired some, but people usually quit after a month. They cannot handle the rigors of the craft. I am also quite pedantic and precise. I had three complaints during the whole time. I would be happy if a young person came to me to pass this on to. I'm tired, I have arthritis, so I'd like someone to put up with me here. I would need a man because earlier I lifted the sofa by myself and today I need help with it. I can't pass it on to my children because they have a different focus, but they help me. But I have a lot of viewers. Sometimes I'm painting and suddenly someone appears in the workshop and watches me. He can stand watching for hours.

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Did you really only have three complaints in the entire time?Yes, the first one in the 90s. Back then, there were a lot of sofa sets with buttons, and once a customer called me after about a month that they were falling out. I arrived, fixed it, and then it became clear what the problem was. They had a son, Honzík, who played with buttons and cut them.

Who do you work for abroad?I do guesthouses and hotels in Germany and Austria. What I like about the Germans is their precision. But they want to have everything right away, and that's not always possible. I just got a call from Switzerland. Some guy emailed me about 70 chairs. There are baroque, rococo, biedermayer and modern pieces.

How are prices resolved for such specific orders? It's probably not a cheap matter...People who have some antiques at home already come up with an idea. I'm not too different from her. But it happens that people argue with you because of one seat on a chair. But sometimes a pensioner comes and I make an order just for the material and then take it home to him.

Feel like your craft is dying? From your experience, it seems that not too many people are interested in it.People don't want to do it. I think there was once a major in Lišov, which they canceled. I'm sorry. No one wants to do it, even though it's a wonderful job. You can't get rich from it, but it will give you an incredible amount. But that's how it is. Today's time is very modernized, people want to do other professions.

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You say you are tired. Have you considered when will you ever quit?I would like to retire from upholstery next year for my 55th birthday. However, given the number of orders, it probably won't work. If I can find a capable person who wants to learn, that would be very nice.

Do you have time for anything else besides work?Not much, I start at eight in the morning and work until maybe seven. Then I come home and take care of the e-shop and all the administrative stuff.

When we met at the Entrepreneur of the Year award, you couldn't talk. You only said that rock music helps you. How?When I'm very tired, I listen to rock radio, which keeps me afloat. I am a biker, I like going to concerts and I have a lot of friends in Budějovice. Otherwise, I am now trying to spend my free time with my granddaughter.