New Life at Good Vibes Winery
From Tech to Tasting Room: Tonjia Coverdale Steps Into Uptown Westerville
The Accidental Winery Owner Who Fit Uptown From Day One
Tonjia Coverdale sat in a corner at Good Vibes Winery, holding a glass of wine with her laptop open when the idea first came to her. She was between jobs, updating her resume and searching for her next career move. But as she watched the owner at the bar laughing with regulars, she felt a pull she hadn’t expected. This was the kind of place she had always imagined when dreaming about owning a small business: a storefront on a main street in a small town, a space where people relaxed into their evenings and knew each other by name.
The thought wouldn’t leave her. She didn’t want another corporate title; she craved something more human, something grounded. So she opened a browser tab and typed “how do you buy a business.” A few listings showed up. One caught her eye: a wine shop for sale in Franklin County. She sent the paperwork, waited 3 days, and found out the business's name. It was Good Vibes Winery, the very place where she had been sitting.
Only then did her long career come into focus. Coverdale had spent 28 years in the technology industry. She built software, led enterprise teams, taught college students, earned a Ph.D., and served as a chief information officer. She had done high-stakes work. But that day at the winery, she realized it had never been the tech that mattered most to her. It was always the people. And in this room, tucked into Uptown Westerville, she saw the kind of community she wanted to build around.
Her first official day behind the bar confirmed it. The space kept serving up moments that showed her exactly what it could become.
A woman came in looking for a bottle of Hang On Sloopy, the black raspberry merlot that always sells out. Coverdale checked the shelves, then the cooler, and found only one chilled bottle reserved for by-the-glass pours later that night. She offered it anyway, apologizing that it was the last one.
The woman smiled, surprised to be handed the last bottle in the building. Coverdale moved on to the next customer with that same easy warmth. Not long after, another woman entered and headed for the bar. Coverdale handed her a wine list and told her she could sit anywhere, then went back to pouring flights for two newcomers in the corner.
Seconds later, an excited squeal echoed through the room. The two customers with the flights were waving at the newcomer. All three suddenly laughed and hugged in a joyful reunion. Coverdale lit up. This was exactly the kind of moment she wanted to nurture. Strangers becoming regulars, regulars turning into friends, and all of it happening naturally.
Earlier that afternoon, a member of the Vaud-Villities chorus came in to buy wine and inquire about a donation for the troupe’s Christmas gift baskets. Coverdale agreed before the woman finished her sentence, offering two bottles and cheering her on as if they had known each other for years.
It wasn’t until near the end of the conversation that the woman realized she really did know Coverdale. She dances with the troupe when she isn’t running a winery. She had sat out the season to learn the business, a choice that made the shared connection even sweeter.
These moments weren’t planned. They unfolded naturally throughout the day, each one strengthening Coverdale's certainty that this was where she belonged.
She isn’t content to let the room’s energy just exist on its own. She is already shaping Good Vibes to mirror who she is and what she cares about. She wants more entertainment, more opportunities for people to gather, and more reasons for neighbors to visit, even if they aren’t wine drinkers.
Good Vibes has long hosted music on Friday nights. She intends to add Saturday evenings and revive jazz at Uptown. She is planning sip-and-paint nights, calligraphy classes, game nights, restaurant pairings, and other events that invite people to stay longer.
Because she is a 500-hour yoga instructor, she also plans to offer yoga and wine sessions. She imagines mats lined up before the shop opens, with morning light streaming through the front windows and regulars starting their day with movement and a glass afterward.
For her, wine, music, art, and yoga all serve the same purpose. They create space for connection, which is the core of what she’s trying to build.
Her roots in Westerville are deeper than most new business owners. She lives just north of town, close enough that Uptown has always been part of her routine. She is a parishioner and lector at St. Paul. Her kids swam with the Westerville Aquatic Club. She buys tea at Blue Turtle, flowers at Westerville Florist, candles at Blend, and thrifted outfits at Deja Vu. She grabs coffee at Java Central, chats with the owners, and sees familiar faces wherever she walks.
She often wears pink, a quiet but cheerful signature that makes her instantly recognizable around town. That day at Good Vibes, when everything changed, she was wrapped in a pink sweater from Deja Vu. It’s the kind of detail that doesn’t announce itself but stays with people, like the warmth she brings to every interaction.
Owning Good Vibes didn’t make her part of the community. She already was. The winery simply gave her a place to gather all those threads.
What she entered is a small-business culture that defines Uptown Westerville. The district thrives because its storefronts offer more than just merchandise. They carry stories, relationships, and a sense of continuity that’s rare in a growing area. Shops may change owners, but the warmth stays. Owners know their customers, and customers know their owners.
Coverdale fits seamlessly into that landscape. She recognizes that Uptown’s strength lies in moments when people feel seen. The joy of a corner-table reunion, the chorus singer acknowledging her, the customer catching the last bottle of her favorite wine. These quiet moments have always kept Uptown rooted.
Good Vibes is now part of that fabric. Coverdale is leaning into it with everything she has.
On her first day, with the room full and the lights warm, she moved from table to table with the same bright energy she felt the day she sat there as a customer. Every smile, every bit of laughter, every unexpected connection reminded her why she took the leap.
She didn’t just purchase a business. She discovered the ideal location to create the community she had been dreaming of for years.
The Westerville News is a reader-supported publication by Gary Gardiner, a lifelong journalist who believes hyper-local reporting is the future of news. This publication focuses exclusively on Westerville—its local news, influence on Central Ohio, and how surrounding areas shape the community.
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