History of the furniture-making company

Josef Volek (1874 - 1945) - the foundner of the company

The founder of the company was Josef Volek, a joiner coming from Horní Bečva. He opened here a joiner’s trade in 1897 which he moved to Vigantice in May 1900 and to Valašské Meziříčí later on. He built a new plant for production of furniture from a joiner’s workshop at Palackého street which belonged to successful companies at the end of 1920’s. Many of the employees were graduates of the specialized school for wood processing in Valašské Meziříčí and they were able to manufacture perfect artistic pieces of furniture from wood as per the wish and taste of customers. Banks, offices, insurance companies but also private flats were thus equipped with the period furniture from the company Volek. Mr. Volek took a high loan from a local bank in 1926 in order to modernize and expand the plant. There were, however, not enough orders in the time of economic crisis and the company was not able to meet its liabilities towards the bank. The bank terminates the activity of the company in 1933 and later on, in 1938, seizes the whole building at Palackého street and sells to the town. The factory for manufacture of artistic furniture should have been into municipal poorhouse.

Jindřich Jelínek (1896 - 1979) - the blossom the company

Jindřich Jelínek joined the company Volek at the beginning of 1920’s. He becomes soon one of the eminent employees of the company and the owner Josef Volek is glad to give one of his tree daughters to the capable young man as his wife.Jindřich Jelínek opens his own joiner’s trade in the time of decline of the furniture plant and he ensures sales soon by his quality products. In 1938, with selfless and unselfish support of J. Křižan, owner of a sawmill in Valašské Meziříčí, and with understanding of the municipal council, Jindřich Jelínek obtains back the family property to the considerable delight of Josef Volek. He becomes a manager of the company “Jindřich Jelínek – výroba nábytku” (Jindřich Jelínek furniture manufacture) which continues the quality work of the master Volek. Jindřich Jelínek was a talented entrepreneur. Further features of his – reliability, diligence, skilfulness and certain prudence – destined him to be successful. The company under his management is growing at the end of 1930’s (despite the difficult situation in the world), all the accounts payable are gradually paid off and there are even enough money left for the necessary investments into the equipment.

After the end of the World War II, Jindřich Volek made preparations for expansion of the production which he even had scheduled before. This, however, did not take place because national administration was imposed on the company after 1948 and the People’s Furniture Co-operative took over the administration in 1951; the co-operative accepted the husband and wife Jelíneks as its employees and let them live in the building they built once with their own hands. Mrs. Božena Jelínková died in 1957. Their son Vlastimil found a new job in Prague, their daughter Jindřiška moved to Havířov. Jindřich Jelínek stayed next several years in Valašské Meziříčí and in his declining years he left for a residential care house for elderly people in Ostrava where he died in 1979.