Meet Lina Thomas | Proprietor of Jars of Joy

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lina Thomas and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lina, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
When I lived in Malaysia many years ago I had a 9-5 job working for German Engineering Company. It was good to have a steady income in those days as I had a young child and needed the security. Eventually I moved to the states and never really felt the need to take on a regular job. I did grow a bit weary of not having a regular pattern to fall back on and so I explored a couple of ideas as to how to make an income, including importing Malaysian tie-dye and catering for parties. As it sometimes takes time to figure out what is going to work for you, and I enjoyed the idea of hosting parties for mostly Asian couples we knew, that lead to the idea of making sauces, pastes and bake goods with a Malaysian flair!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Everyone who creates their own occupation knows that they will need to seperate themselves from the competation. It’s the most impostant part of “owning” your business. It is really impostant to try and figure this “ah ha” moment from the beginning, so you have the best chance of succeeding. For myself, I decided to make authenic Malaysian sauces/pastes/cookies for the Malaysian people living in the U.S. At first I did not know if I would be completely unique, but as time wore on, I realised I had made the right choice.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Perhaps the biggest advantage to living in a large metropolitan area like Atlanta is having the diversity of millions of other people all looking for their own niche in life. There is an area in town (Buford Highway) where several asian grocery stores (Buford Farmers Market “My Favorite Store”) and restaurants compete for the dollars of the masses, and if you’re willing to put up with the traffic, you too can join the crowds that come from near and far to partake in their offerings. Honestly, there’s not a lot of great places to eat there, as the hectic lifestyle pushes people into here-and-now eating habits, so they can get back to catching up with what they’re doing.

My favorite food is the food I make for myself at home anyway, so I spend more time engaging in the review of the products on the shelves at the stores (Buford Farmers Market) and dabbling in a variety of product options which smaller cities just don’t have.

You know, there’s always a few world travelers who post their excursions on line for everyone to see. You can’t help but be excoted for them as they trott the globe and fullful their fantasies. For me, I like to take trips whenever and where ever time and money permits, but I feel as if the best excursions are really about the people you are with, and the joy of travel can happen in even our regular destinations. I try and keep it light and ad-lib along the way, and that always keeps even the most mudane trips interesting!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I moved to the U.S. about 18 years ago to marry my husband, and to be perfectly honest, at that time I was not much of a cook. My background was in mechanical engineering and I worked for 15 years for a German Engineering company in Penang Malaysia which was rewarding, but not really what I envisioned myself doing as a lifelong occupation.

A shout out goes to my husband who never ceases to amaze me with so much love, encouragement, and support that he gives me. When things get rough he’s the one that continues to push me and let me know that it’s okay to hit the reset button and start over if you have to. I also want to shout out to my family in Malaysia as they are my biggest supporters throughout my culinary journey, and are very proud of me and that makes me feel amazing.

Last but not least my 26 year old daughter deserves a shout out. I suppose in retrospect, if I had one person to thank for my success it would be my daughter as a driving force. Now that she is a young woman having her own life and success, I am grateful that these lessons of dedication have carried over.

Website: My website is under construction at the moment. I can be reached via email at lina6990@gmail.com I typically respond within 24 – 48hrs.

Instagram: Jars of Joy by Lina / mrs.lina.thomas

Linkedin: www.linkedin/in/lina-thomas-192

Twitter: Jars of Joy by Lina Thomas

Facebook: Jars of Joy by Lina Thomas

Youtube: 6990lina

Other: TikTok: mommylina.usa

Image Credits
Image credits: Jars of Joy by Lina Thomas