“Mia Bella” is an Italian word that means “my beautiful”.
Today, we’re meeting rural Kansas entrepreneurs who are providing beautiful home goods to their communities and meeting the needs of other communities. She decided to name her business Mia Bella.
Lonna Trosper and her husband, Tony, are the founders and owners of Mia Bella Interiors and MBI Laser Engraving in Waterville, Kansas, a town in Marshall County. Rona is originally from western Oklahoma. She married a Kansan and moved to Waterville.
“I worked in retail,” Trosper said. She found her shopping options in Waterville limited. “There was no place in town to buy a nice gift for a wedding or a special birthday.”
Instead of complaining about it, she chose to do something about it. “I always wanted to own my own store,” Trosper said.
She and Tony, a disabled veteran, founded a home decor products business in Waterville. Because of her interest in beautiful, high-quality products, they named the company Mia Bella Interiors. Mia is also the name of my youngest daughter, who is in seventh grade.
In March 2022, Trospers opened Mia Bella Interiors. Looking to expand, they purchased a former restaurant building in town and made an interesting discovery. A broken espresso machine had been left behind by the previous owner.
The Trospers examine it and find that the machine can be repaired. The business currently operates as Mia Bella Interiors & Coffeehouse. There is a full espresso bar and seating area where you can work or relax with an iced or hot coffee. This is a gathering place for the community.
Mia Bella Interiors & Coffeehouse offers a wide range of product lines including home decor and self-care products. There are baskets, candles, vases, frames, mirrors, pillows and throws, rugs, signs, tray decorations, and wall decorations. The carefully selected items are truly beautiful.
The company’s website says: “We love the opportunity to style any home by combining industrial farmhouse and boho styles with carefully selected vintage pieces.”
In addition, the store also sells bath and body products, kitchenware, gifts, and a variety of books, including devotionals. Mia Bella Interiors & Coffeehouse also supports other local entrepreneurs. The store offers handcrafted gift cards made by Riley’s artisans, as well as snacks, soups and dips from other local small businesses.
In January 2024, the Trospers started another company and purchased a laser engraving machine. The business is called MBI Laser Engraving, an acronym for Mia Bella Interiors. The business offers personalized and customized projects that are created in-store. We create unique products using materials such as acrylic, wood, metal, stone, glass, and leather.
“We’re both creative people,” Trosper said of her and her husband. “He is very good at designing and can carve all kinds of items.”
For example, MBI Laser Engraving designs and manufactures custom products for lodges in Colorado. “We put our logo on cutting boards, wooden magnets, tumblers, cups, wine glasses, etc.,” Trosper said.
MBI is also an affiliated licensing vendor for K-State materials so we can create items for Wildcat fans. They also support local fundraisers.
“Being in a small town, everyone knows you and you can rely on each other,” Trosper said. “If you have Sunday afternoon off and need an urgent gift, we are always happy to accommodate you.”
For customers, that’s the benefit of living in a rural community like Waterville, population 658. Now, it’s the countryside.
What does Rona Trosper enjoy most about this business? “I think it’s the happiness we can bring to our customers,” she said. “It would be great if I could design the perfect thing or help someone find the perfect gift.”
For more information, please visit www.miabellainteriors.net.
Mia Bella means “My Beautiful,” a fitting name for a business that brings beautiful items to a small Kansas town. We celebrate Rona Trosper and Tony Trosper for making a difference with their creative entrepreneurship.
I think that’s a beautiful thing.
