Mimstar, a manufacturer and seller of one-of-a-kind photo items made from its customers’ photos and original artwork, has created keepsakes for countless customers since 2006. Now the Fillmore business located inside Mirage women’s clothing shop has its own keepsake, thanks to Economic Development Collaborative-Ventura County.

At a check passing ceremony on June 24, Mimstar owner Karen Thayer received an $85,000 loan to be used for debt restructuring and working capital that will enable Thayer to increase her staff and the company’s production.

EDC-VC is a community-based lender, and the loan is the largest it has made to a Fillmore company to date.
F
illmore Mayor Patti Walker and Supervisor Kathy Long, both EDC-VC board members, presented the check to Thayer on behalf of EDC-VC and the county.

“EDC-VC has given me wings to fly,” said Thayer. “Fillmore has been hit pretty hard with the economy, yet Mimstar is growing so much that it’s a challenge to keep up with demand.

I owe a great deal of our success to EDC-VC, because they educated me about business strategies specific to my company before we even entered into the loan process. My business is my passion, and now I have the business skills to match.”

Mimstar is a digital customizing business whose primary production is that of transferring customer photographs onto a multitude of items using dye sublimation, which uses special dyes and 400 degree heat to create photo-quality replications of all types of photographs on various objects. Mimstar also offers vinyl application and a digital transfer process called Chromoblast.

EDC-VC is a private, nonprofit organization that serves as a business-to-government liaison to assist businesses in Ventura County by offering programs that enhance the economic vitality of the region. For more information about the Business Enhancement Program, the Revolving Loan Fund and other services available to small businesses through the EDC-VC, contact Bruce Stenslie at 805-384-1800 ext. 21 or bruce.stenslie@edc-vc.com.