Jen: I’m not going to lie. That word dates you. (both are laugh-
Jet: You know, they would only like their own designs and
funny about their vision, but Patty is not like that. She just does
anything I ask her and I’m always amazed by it.
Jen: Patty is pretty sarcastic, which I love, but I always expect
her to get frustrated or angry with us, too, but she doesn’t.
Jet: Nope. She doesn’t. But, I see it in her emails. You have to
read between the lines (laughs). I was never able to recognize it,
but now I am able to. I can see when I have asked her to change
something that I know she really didn’t want to, but she does it,
but then there is a little slight dig in there. I can recognize it now.
(both are laughing)
Jen: I am always worried that I am going to upset her and you
can say read between the lines, but there are no lines. (the two
Jet: That is right. That describes it perfectly. She was a perfect
Jen: So you have Patty as your subcontractor, Chesser Graphic
Designs does all of our Creative Art. And, you were this lone wolf
with the occasional random writer who would contribute.
Jet: Yes, we had a few writers here
and there and a customer or two that
wanted to submit something. We did
our own research and then we had
you doing the food. So, yeah, we just
more than what we had at Community
Magazine. It was a whole different
focus. It’s not just the community. It’s
not just this area. Now, it’s women.
Jen: Times have changed. While all
of this has been happening our political
culture has changed, our culture, in
general has changed. With the #metoo
and #herstory campaigns going viral
and all of that, things have changed
alot…. in the last two years, in particular.
This was the perfect time to
for a women’s magazine to resurface.
Jet: Absolutely. It is the perfect
time and for people to say that print is
dead? It’s not.
Jen: I certainly felt more connected. Here is where I am going to
monopolize this interview for a second.
Jet: Good. I’ll let you.
Jen: Like I monopolize all of our networking opportunities,
once I realize that you are not going to do a complete job (Jet is
really humble and you don’t like the focus to be on you, which is
why we had to get slightly tipsy to do this.
Jet: That’s true. I’m so tipsy right now. (both are laughing, neither
women had more than two glasses of wine during the almost
2 hour interview)
have to tell you the story from an outside point of view. I mean,
kind of an outside, I was very much an insider, but there are just
some things that you don’t talk about. So, when you switched to
the Women’s Magazine, we were pretty close. I came over here a
lot while Keith was sick, I think I was one of the insiders to his
sickness, for sure, there at the end, and I know for sure that I was
one of the only people that Keith actually really liked. (both wom-
be invited into your life during that time.
Jet: Yeah, I don’t let too many people into my life.
Jen: I know that about you. And, to be let in during such a time
as when someone is passing, when you are the most vulnerable,
for me, I have protected that. I felt protective of our relationship,
both friendship and business, and the magazine aside, when I
think about our relationship, I think about how we went through
THIS together. The death of your husband. THEN the magazine.
Jet: Well, even look at what you have been through. The stress
of your cafe and closing it and the loss of your grandmother.
Jen: It’s been a lot in our short 5 or 6 years together. You never
said, during any of those times that I was visiting you through his
sickness, or through any of it, you never said, “hey! I am think-
showed me the prototype. At that point, Keith’s bed was out in the
living area. You went to the bathroom and I went over to Keith’s
bed and said, “what a great time to start a new magazine.” and we
both cracked up, him doing the best he could.
Jet: We worked on it the whole time he was going. I did not
work on it during the time he was on Hospice care at home.
asked you, in a million different ways, but I never fully understood
what made you start a women’s magazine in the middle of
all of that grief until we sat down for
this interview.
Jet: Yes, It was just that, and you
don’t have to put this in, but I am going
to tell you, when Keith was in those
his doctor without him because everything
they were doing wasn’t helping
and I knew that Keith was terminal...
but there was this stage that his body
-
don’t even think they do anymore,
and he said, “Mrs. Hall, you do understand
that your husband is gravely
ill.” I mean, it was this dead tone in his
voice and it was like somebody hit me
with a hammer. I think what he was
trying to tell me, because you know,
Keith had been in this condition for
a long time, since the 80s, was that...
it was coming….without saying those
words...and, to be prepared. In my
mind, I knew. All this time, I knew he wasn’t going to outlive me,
the reality that hit me that I better get ready. Keith and I would
have talks and towards the end when even he knew that his body
was failing him, those couple of years before he died, we really
started talking about what to do when the time comes. “This is
what you’re gonna do,” and blah, blah, blah. I kept thinking, “he’s
leaving me.” I think I started grieving then.
whole time that I have known you.
Jet: Yeah, because I knew he was leaving. It’s like watching
someone pack up to go on a trip. Even though they haven’t left yet,
they are already gone in your mind. It was horrible. I don’t ever
want do that again, although, I would do it all over again if I had
to. So, in that time just before he passed, when I knew Community
Magazine wasn’t making any money, in fact I was losing money
left and right, I came up with the idea. I loved doing a magazine,
but I needed a new idea. Something relevant for today. Something
that was going to make people want to grab it and read it. Something
that was going to make a difference. And, I said, oh, I’ll do
a (expletive) woman’s magazine. (cracks up). Do I call it Florida
10 • MAY/JUNE 2019 813.682.9364