The Bartas of Broadmoor

From Broadmoor Friends and Neighbors Magazine, November 2014

The Bartas of Broadmoor

By Reecy Pontiff

Raising a family and starting a business are always labors of love but for Jeanne Barta it was also urged on by love's labor lost.

Jeanne had always been a stay-at-home mom to she and husband Tom's six children Mackenzie, Kaylyn, Colton, Kylie, Kacey and Cade. They were known in the neighborhood for hauling their kids around in a 15-passenger van lovingly nicknamed the “Barta Bus.” Though the Bartas have historically been one big, happy family, life threw a big challenge at them.

When Jeanne found out she was pregnant with their seventh child she was torn.

“It was a very surprising pregnancy,” Jeanne said. “We were done [having children] and as much as we love kids it was really hard because I didn't want to have another baby. By the time I accepted it and got excited I went into pre-term labor.”

Christopher Thomas Barta was born premature on September 28, 2012. He died 11 days later of pneumonia.

“I was thrown... I didn't even necessarily want this pregnancy and then I lost him. It was devastating,” she said.

Depression set in and Jeanne found it difficult to be her usual boisterous self.

As a way of getting “off the couch and get into the community,” Jeanne began hosting jewelry parties in her neighbors' homes.

“The community was immensely supportive,” she said. “They had known what I'd gone through. [The parties] really did get me back into community when I might have just withdrawn.”

Before her pregnancy with Christopher she'd sent in an application to open up a Lillians Boutique franchise but had been turned down because of the proximity to another location in the area. When they finally called to ask if she was still interested in the opportunity, Jeanne gave it careful consideration.

Though she loved the jewelry parties – seeing the new lines as the seasons changed and interacting with people – the process of having to haul her inventory from place to place was beginning to wear her out. With her youngest going into full-day kindergarten, the timing just felt right.

“It feels like it was meant to be,” Jeanne said.

Jeanne's husband Tom was very supportive of her decision. On top of handling the books for the boutique Tom also provides a lot of assistance at home.

“He helps out with the laundry and meals and still has his corporate job in Denver. I could not do it without his partnership, that's for sure.”

When the kids seemed unsure about their mother going to work Tom even helped convince them it was a positive transformation for both Jeanne and the family.

“It's a big change for a big family to go from a mom that completely stays home to a mom that's working full time,” she said. “Now that I have [the boutique] they are just funny. Of course the four girls think it's their closet,” and the boys are proud of their mother's shop.

Jeanne just celebrated the one-year anniversary of her Lilian's location and while things are going swimmingly she still has a tight-rope to walk between her work life and home life.

“The kids like it as long as they're getting enough attention,” she said.

And though the loss of Christopher was a blow to the entire clan it ultimately has brought them closer together.

“It really affected the kids... but it bonded them to each other and to us. It's made life a little bit less difficult because I feel like they talk to us more,” she said. “Because we went through such a difficult thing together there's just not so much of the parent/kid dichotomy that I feel that we were always fighting against.”

“Although there were days after Christopher's death that I didn't want to get out of bed, I would think about how hard he fought, all 1 lb. 5 oz. of him, for twelve long days, or about the bravery of my living children and the outpouring of love and support from our community, and I couldn't stay sad or give up,” Jeanne said.

“After facing trials that tempted me to give up and let grief consume me... in a very real sense, opening my Lillians was like crossing a threshold of hope and embarking on a new journey.”