Today we’d like to introduce you to Joa Jane Harpster.
Hi Joa Jane, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I have always been a Jill of all Trades, and my life and jobs have reflected that. As a child, I loved books and music and art, so I spent much of time writing poems and stories ( I was first published in a magazine at 9 years old), reading and more reading (I was the kid checking out 15 books at a time), and learning to play a variety of musical instruments from piano to saxophone to various ethnic flutes. I took painting lessons and entered multiple competitions in art, writing and music. Those competitions are what led me to be encouraged by a local newspaper journalist and a national artist to major in Creative Writing and minor in Art in college. But being super quirky as well, I loved trying random new things, such as trying to set a Guinness World Record in high school ( I didn’t quite get it), and taking my first non-babysitting job–delivering singing telegrams as a clown. And I believe I still hold the distance record for cast iron skillet throwing in Ashland County, Ohio, but I can’t be sure. 🙂
My career continued much like my childhood, quirky and diverse. From costume shop manager, to Children’s Entertainment Facility and Laser Tag facility managers, on to a plethora of jobs such as wedding dress sales, hand painting signs for a sign company, scoring standardized tests, sewing alterations, event planning, retail sales, and even starting my own mobile tea party business. I’m thankful for every strange little bit of it, as it helps me each and every day with my current job at the Leesburg Area Chamber of Commerce, which is always requiring me to utilize a bit of all of those skill sets I learned over the years.
My love for Disney (and warm weather!) is what made me set my sights for Florida once I graduated college. Once I moved, I never looked back. Florida is my home–where I met my husband of 25 years (this year!) and had our two children. I have lived in many different areas of Florida, which has made me appreciate all of the beauty and eccentricities of our weirdly wild and wonderful state.
Currently I live in Leesburg, FL, which is not anywhere I imagined I would end up, but is apparently where I am supposed to be in this moment. I’m blessed to have my parents and my brother and his family nearby, and after having lived in this area 3 different times for a total of 11 years, I appreciate the small town vibe and close knit community here. It is one of the reasons I took my current position at the Chamber.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Moving to Florida was my first true “test” as being an adult and I think my mom would probably have several heart attacks if she knew how things went in my first couple years here–especially the point where I was living in a not so great neighborhood and carried my roommate’s taser when she would let me borrow it since I worked late hours and often had to go to the laundromat in the middle of the night. Married life has carried its own set of challenges, as I (and my hubby!) ended up with 2 more kids than we planned on (having decided we wouldn’t have kids), and some stints of unemployment and health challenges which caused so much pain and strife, I could write a series of books just about that. But I know that each struggle (even though they completely sucked at the time) led me to be stronger, more empathetic and more powerful as a person. And I’m so grateful for my relationship with God, as without that, I don’t know how I would have made it through. He has been with me every step of the way to help me walk through each time of difficulty.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m going to put a couple options in here–feel free to go in either direction with the story, and if you need more details, I’m happy to add to it. 🙂
Currently, I am the Membership & Events Director with the Leesburg Area Chamber of Commerce. My job description changes each day, but generally I help recruit and retain members for our Chamber in the local business community as well as create and implement events for the Chamber. One of the reasons I took the job was because of my experience with the Chamber in my former position. I had begun attending Chamber events in an effort to get to know people in Leesburg and find supporters for the non-profit organization I was working for. I found the Chamber was full of fantastic and friendly people, and it helped me significantly to feel more a part of my new hometown. I loved not only meeting new people, but all of us helping one another in our respective businesses or organizations. I have always loved to support local and help my friends with their business endeavors, as I have a very entrepreneurial spirit. In my current position, I have the chance to not only be creative in writing scripts, skits and marketing materials as well as create graphics and decor idea boards for events, but also to assist new and established businesses with ways to help promote and grow their business so they thrive in our community. It gives me a huge thrill when I can come up with an idea or solution that is beneficial to one of our members. I work on having a great connection and relationship with them as much as I can (although we have close to 400 members!) so they know I am on their side and ready to help them in any way possible. Large businesses have their place in our communities–they can support our chamber, our local organizations and work economy. But small businesses are essential as well–they support our schools, clubs and Little League teams as well as give families a way to earn income that often incorporates a dream or vision come to fruition through their small business.
I feel my eccentric and unusual job background as well as my creativity set me apart from others. I often see things from a different perspective than others, and because I’m an “ideas person,” I always want to try to come up with a concept that will make whatever challenge I’m trying to solve have a successful solution.
Not only that, I try to always give above and beyond to our members (and to my friends and family). I want to do all I can to help those around me accomplish their goals and dreams.
Option #2
I remember when I first was married, my husband wasn’t comfortable with the fact that all my closest friends were guys. I had always been a tomboy, and girls, quite frankly, annoyed me. My husband kept asking me to go find some girlfriends, and I was truly stumped as to how to achieve that. In desperation, I started thinking of the absolutely most girly activities I could think of that girls might like, and I came up with the idea of having a tea party. Now I knew nothing about tea, but I did like to plan parties, so I went to work.
I invited a few random ladies that I met at work, at church and asked them to invite someone as well. That first tea we ended up with 12 ladies in my small apartment. I made the event potluck, because I couldn’t cook to save my life. I had my mother-in-law’s teacups and my grandmother’s teapot, and we had a full on tea party.
That day of laughter, open sharing and tea treats, led to one of the ladies asking me: “So when are we doing this again?” Thus began decades of me hosting tea parties at least twice a year and inviting friends, business and church acquaintances, and random strangers. I moved 8 times in those decades, and at each new place that’s how I stared making new friends and creating a cult of new tea lovers. I found tea had this incredible power that brought together complete strangers, gave them the freedom to rest, de-stress and open up. It took strangers and made them friends, and tea haters began finding their favorites and beginning a lifelong habit. It was awe-inspiring and I felt so honored to be a part of this catalyst of positive change. I started a tea ministry which grew to over 100 people, which then led to me starting a mobile tea party business called Lah-Tea-Dah. After a serious and permanent back injury, it was a difficult decision to have to shut down my business, which was just starting to grow wings and fly, but it was impossible for me to continue.
Since then, I have continued to foster my love of tea any way I can. I have worked for several prominent tea retail companies, hosted or assisted with fundraising teas for multiple organizations, and taught tea classes on subjects such as the health benefits of tea and types of tea along with how to do tea parties and tea tastings. I have participated in Steampunk and Regency tea style events, tea dueling, teapot racing and more. If it has to do with tea, I’m all about it., which is why I am fondly known as the “Tea Diva.” I am so proud of the fact that years later, some of those women who were at my very first tea share with me about a tea they are hosting–for friends, for homeschool moms, for their church, for their school and thank me for teaching them about the love of tea time. I love when women I have had at my teas email or call and ask me for advice in planning a tea.
At my last tea event I did in February, I was so honored that not only two of my friends from the original tea came into town to help and be there, but that one of my wonderful friends who helped me when I first started my tea party business was there with her daughters, who had helped me when they were young. And one of them had brought her new baby daughter along. We were generations of women sharing the love of tea.
My dream is to once again have a business where I can spread the love of tea and how participating in tea time can help relax, connect and encourage all at once. But whether I do it for love or for money, I will continue to share this amazing tradition with those around me–for health, for friendship, for connection and to build up and validate each person who comes to tea.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I covered this a bit in the first question, but I was also a very quiet, shy child (which none of my friends today believe). I loved books and reading more than almost anything, and I started writing poetry around the age of 5. I still have my first notebook of poems from then. I was always a bit unusual and loved unique things. I also was a born salesperson and entrepreneur, and my neighbors probably cringed every time I rang their doorbell, selling something–either a product I had created, some show I wrote and was selling tickets for, or the greeting card company I sold stuff for to earn extra money–and those sea monkeys. I loved school–pretty much every subject but math. I couldn’t wait to grow up and go to college. I’m honestly surprised I didn’t just become a career college attendee.
I found theater in high school when I tried out for the musical “Oliver” on a dare from friends. I beat out 5 guys for the part of the Artful Dodger, and thus began my love for theater. I went on to do more musicals in high school and college and student direct as well.
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