Hearts Desire opened in October, 2006, housed in a 1926 vintage house in The Village of the Arts in Bradenton, Florida (http://www.villageofthearts.com). Keeping the creative vibe of the Village alive in a retail setting was the dream of owner Vicki Rollo. She was dedicated to supporting local designers and small design houses that enabled her to provide unique, affordable fashions to the many women who walked through the coral red picket fence to enter Hearts Desire.

Hearts Desire also was the perfect place for Rollo to showcase her unique jewelry designs. A graduate of Ringling College of Art & Design, Rollo had been designing her line of adornments since 1992. She spent many weekend selling at art fairs and festivals. She grew weary of hauling and erecting tents and worrying about the weather. One of the items on her bucket list was a gallery/studio. The Village of the Arts had these affordable, quaint little houses – just what she was looking for.

Prior to discovering her passion for beads and jewelry making, Rollo had already established a freelance career in graphic design in the Sarasota/Bradenton area under the name Rollo Design. She worked for several years at the Asolo Center for Performing Arts and won many awards for her computer graphic posters and campaigns. The flexible, freelance aspect of Rollo Design enabled Rollo to venture into the retail market with the opening of Hearts Desire.

Two years ago Hearts Desire downsized the gallery/retail space to focus on the mobile side of the retail business. Now Rollo works closely with nonprofit organizations and women’s organizations to help them with their fundraising efforts by presenting Wearable Art Fashion and Trunk Shows featuring her jewelry and the colorful, creative collections of her local and small national design house team. She houses the Hearts Desire Collection in a storage facility in Sarasota and opens it for personal shopping by appointment only.