Owners celebrate 30 years with House of Trophies

By Elizabeth Rogers (first published in The Lincoln Times-News under my maiden name, Heffner, in 2014)

For the past 30 years, Nick and Judy Komas have served as the owners of House of Trophies and Engraving, Inc., located at 118 East Main Street in Lincolnton, NC.

"For a long time, I did almost everything," Nick Komas said. "But as the business grew, Judy joined in with the awards. For the past seven or eight years, she's handled the awards and trophies, and I've handled plaques and framing, the bookwork, accounting and advertising.

"It keeps us young and active," Judy Komas laughed.

A first-generation Greek-American, Nick Komas grew up in Charlotte,

"My dad came over from Greece in 1936 and opened a restaurant," Nick Komas said. "When I was 12, I started helping out at the restaurant after school and on the weekends."

After graduating from North Mecklenburg High School, Komas received his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1965. Upon graduation, he enlisted in the Air National Guard in Charlotte, flying supplies to Vietnam and bringing home wounded soldiers.

It was while working as a commercial lender at a Charlotte bank that Nick Komas met his future wife, Judy, who was also in banking. After marrying in 1967, the couple spent the next several years in the banking industry, which at the time involved frequently moving. By the time the couple and their son arrived in Lincolnton in 1973, the family had lived across the Piedmont and Triad, their last home being in Charlotte.

"It was tough to leave Charlotte, but we got to see Lincoln County grow...the boom of Denver and the Lake Norman area," Nick Komas said. "When we first moved here, we went back to Charlotte for entertainment and friends, but as Lincolnton, Gastonia and Hickory grew, we started going back less."

From passion to profit

Nick Komas' passion for framing grew through the 1970s. In his free time, he developed a small framing business, working from home.

"While I was still working at the bank, I looked into opening a small frame shop, but King's had one, so I operated out of the house for nearly 10 years," he said. "I started taking classes and just fell in love with the art of framing."

When Nick Komas first arrived in Lincolnton, he worked at First National Bank until it was bought out in 1982 by NCNB. It was around this time that Nick Komas considered opening his own business.

"I decided I didn't want to keep moving around," he said. "I had always wanted to have my own business."

In 1984, one of Nick Komas' friends offered to sell the trophy engraving business to the couple.

"We knew nothing about trophies, but Mr. J.R. Ward helped us (in the beginning)," Nick Komas said.

Prior to the Komas couple buying the business, Ward had owned and operated the business for 20 years, making it the Komas's 30th year of business and the business franchise's 50th year of existence.

Although some may find the career move from banker to trophy maker and framer slightly jarring, both Nick and Judy believe their banking backgrounds strengthened the business's foundation.

"Being in banking really helped us tremendously with understanding cash flow and running the business," Judy Komas said.

While House of Trophies has been around for decades, it has not always occupied its Main Street storefront.

"We moved to this building in 1991 when we bought the old Eagle's Variety Store," Nick Komas said. "Our store was originally on North Poplar Street; we'd been there for six years. But we needed a more visible location."

He continued, explaining that the early 1990s were the beginning of the downtown renovation.

"Every small town goes in cycles," Nick Komas said. "Shop owners retire or sell. We were fortunate to get a building and gain the support from the Chamber of Commerce, and I ended up (being the recipient) for the Small Business Person of the Year Award in 1993."

Since then, the business has expanded, offering trophies, shadow boxes, framing, plaques, medals and more.

"We have a good loyalty base, but we don't sell as many prints as we did in the 80s and 90s," Nick Komas said. "Now, more people bring in canvases, portraits and newspaper articles (for framing). The market is not the same -- younger people are not collecting art like they did over the last 30-40 years. It used to be where everyone would go out and buy prints from a particular artist. Art in homes has changed...there's a lot more decorative art now."

While print sales have decreased over the years, custom-made shadow boxes showcasing customers' sentimental objects have become a prevalent request.

"I've done shadow boxes for football and baseball jerseys, keys, kilts, dishes," Nick Komas said.

"We've been blessed," Judy Komas said. "We've had a lot of loyal customers and made many new friends over the years. There's a special joy in getting to be a part of memorializing a special moment."

"What's been so wonderful for us is that everything we do makes someone so happy, whether it's the person who comes in or the recipient," Nick Komas said.

House of Trophies and Engraving, Inc. is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.