 In the second half of the 1780s, he returned to Dobruška to take over his father's shop.Hek also served as a local agent for Kramerius, loaned books from his large personal library (3,284 volumes in 1806) and tried to organize a local Czech theatre, which was forbidden by authorities.A fire in 1806 completely destroyed his shop and he lost money during the state bankruptcy of the Austrian Empire in 1811.