Owner of LoKa Tile Group in Sparks is ‘crazy’ about the business

Angela Handler, the owner of LoKa Tile Group in Sparks, is crazy about tile. Literally.

“I love it,” Handler said of the tile industry during an interview with the NNBW. “We’re a little bit out of the box.”

LoKa, the name of her company, which she opened in 2008, is a take off of the Spanish word for crazy, “loca.”

Handler explained that her name selection was inspired from a time when she operated a U.S. branch for a tile company out of Spain, Laufen Tine.

They referred to her as “the crazy tile lady in America,” she said.

Handler, who was born and raised in the Truckee Meadows, has now been working in the tile industry for more than 20 years.

She began as a very young woman working as a receptionist for her uncle’s tile installation business. Gradually, she took on a larger role. By the age of 22, she ran installation crews.

Being young and a woman in a male-dominated industry was sometimes difficult, she said, adding, “I’m thick skinned and handle myself pretty well.”

She opened LoKa Tile Group in 2008 with an eye to finding unique tile designs.

“I like things that are different; different materials not seen in other locations,” she said.

LoKa is a full-service design center that carries tiles for floors, walls, and counters in common materials such as porcelain, granite, marble, ceramic, metal, and mosaics, plus much more.

“We love bold color and are not afraid to show it,” Handler says on the website. “LoKa can accommodate any design style you are looking for, from modern to traditional, to European, to country to mid-century, we love them all.”

That includes products in unique materials and designs.

LoKa has suppliers that can turn logos, artwork, and even children’s drawings, into handmade tiles.

On a tour of the showroom, Handler pointed to floor tiles made of repurposed leather from BMW seats and COACH luxury handbags.

Another collection of tiles is made of wood recycled from Vietnamese fishing boats, with small wood pieces arranged in intricate patterns.

LoKa Tile has a staff of five plus Handler’s children, Bertie and Zane, take part in the operation, which is like a family, she said.

Located at 972 E. Greg St., LoKa Tile is open to the public, but most of its business is for commercial projects that include casinos and hotels throughout the U.S. LoKa Tile does not provide installation services, but can refer customers to those who can.

“I still work closely with them,” Handler said regarding the installers she has known and worked with for years.

Handler has served on the board of the American Society of Interior Designers in California and Nevada. She makes a point of staying up with trends in the business and also helps others do so by hosting continuing education classes for local designers and architects in the LoKa showroom. In the past, Handler has been certified to conduct such classes but these days she leaves the teaching to others.

Handler believes strongly in giving back to the community, and puts her beliefs into action.

Through LoKa Cares, founded in 2011, she helps feed the homeless by serving food every week in an area in Reno known as “Tent City.”

She has a leadership role with 39 North Downtown, an organization to promote businesses in downtown Sparks and run the summer farmers market. An extension of that organization is 39 North Pole Village, which had its second year of holiday festivities Dec. 9-10, including holiday displays, shopping, food trucks and Santa Claus. Handler is also active with the Sparks Heritage Museum.

Besides putting her own time and energy into community pursuits, Handler provides space in the LoKa warehouse. In between shelves of tile back stock and installation supplies, the food and serving supplies for LoKa Cares and decorations for 39 North Pole Village, are stored. Even Engine 39, owned by the city of Sparks and used to give train rides for special occasions such as the Sparks Hometown Parade, has a place to park at LoKa Tile when not in use.

Handler’s enthusiasm for the community and her business is contagious and uniquely LoKa.