Meet Elisa Korf | Curio Guild Co-Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Elisa Korf and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Elisa, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I wanted to take items that still have life in them and give them a chance to be loved again. I took my love of things from yesteryear and running a business that I can be proud of. Learning the basics would empower us to either grow or begin other ventures.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Because the Curio Guild is co-owned there are two passions being realized. This allows us to be set apart from our competitors in a big way. And there is quite an ocean of competitors-resellers, art dealers, and collectible traders. 2020 was a difficult year, nor was it the best time for many new businesses to gain ground. With so many people in America out of work and forced to stay home, online commerce yo-yoed for a good 14 months. Reselling alone wasn’t cutting it. That’s where the idea of consignment came into play.

Artists and Craftsman in Colorado were on every marketplace imaginable; some had listings while others simply wanted to share. Elisa and I developed a consignment plan that required the least amount of commission possible. This helped a small handful of folks in our area to see some profit during the lockdown. And during that time we learned to take better product photos, become better acquainted with the world of reselling, and promised complete transparency both with our customers and ‘Guild Members’.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The Westminster Promenade was once the go-to hang out point in the metro area, south of Denver. Even though many businesses closed during the lockdown, Benders Bar & Grill remained. There, you can eat behind a high-top view of ice rink, or outside next to a fountain lake. The Irish Nachos are one-of-a-kind delicious! Boulder’s Fiske Planetarium is among the best in the world. And before it became 100% illegal to visit after-hours, Flagstaff Mountain was the best late night experience. We used to park at the entrance and slowly walk up the winding path where the wind would eerily howl through the tunneled formation of trees. At the top is a breathtaking view of Boulder.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We have two shout-outs to consider, and we follow them and their work on a regular basis. First, there is Lori Verderame (a.k.a Dr. Lori) who’s passion for antiques and fine collection pursuits really helped us to make our ideas a reality. Dr. Lori really knows her stuff and always puts herself in the position to help out as many people as possible with knowledge and encouragement. Dr. Lori’s You-Tube channel is our go-to for updates in this field of work.

The second is a corporate educator and Multi-CEO, Margaret Heffernan. Both small and large businesses benefit greatly from her stories, work ethic and personal philosophy. In the event our business were to grow beyond a home-based enterprise, we would keep her lessons in mind on how to operate a clean, fair, and efficient company.

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