About Ivana

From Zagreb to LaSalle

I moved to LaSalle in 1983. I went to Sandwich Secondary School. I opened International Art Designs in 1996 and recently retired.

I was born in Zagreb, Croatia. LaSalle is where I grew up, where I built something, and where I have watched the town change for more than forty years.

About

The gallery was at Urban Selections Plaza on Malden Road. It began as custom framing — mouldings, and creative options for art of every kind.

Over the years it became more than that. People here wanted home decor with a contemporary European feel, so we brought in pottery, glassware, mirrors and giftware, and later added custom engraving and awards.

I hold a Bachelor of Fine Arts, and I insisted that the people I hired had backgrounds in art or interior design, so that anyone walking through my door was dealing with someone who genuinely knew the work. The gallery was recognised by Windsor’s Biz X magazine as “Perfect Picture Framer.”

We competed against big-box chains for thirty years, and we held our own on price. Where we really beat them was service, expertise, quality and selection.

Operating a Small Business Teaches You

It teaches you to make payroll before you pay yourself. It teaches you to price honestly, because the person you overcharge today is the neighbour you see at the grocery store tomorrow.

It teaches you that deferred maintenance is never cheaper, only later and more expensive. And it teaches you that when something goes wrong, there is nobody else to answer for it. You answer for it.

That is thirty years of making decisions, managing money, solving problems and being accountable. It is the whole of what I would bring to the council table.

Why council, why now

I recently retired, and for thirty years this community walked through my door and kept my business alive. I feel like I have to give back to the community.

I’m not a politician, and I don’t pretend to be. I know this town, I’ve run a real business here, and I want to help.