Julia Tarka was 21 years old when she renovated and expanded a historic building in downtown Edgartown, opening her first business: Rosewater Market.

It was raining on opening day. Ten years later, the skies opened up again as she wiped water from the outdoor tables with a squeegee, near where the familiar blue “Open” sign hangs year-round.

“I think it’s really fun to start a business — to have all those ideas, refine them down [and] build something,” she said, reflecting on the journey. “I think what’s harder is to keep it open for long periods of time.” 

In the earliest days of imagining what Rosewater Market would become, Ms. Tarka envisioned a year-round gathering space for the community. The crowds that visit throughout the year are a testament to her making that vision a reality. The market offers freshly prepared food, coffee and espresso drinks, along with specialty groceries and Island-made gifts. Her other store, Rosewater Wine & Spirits on Main street, is run by her husband Zach Tarka.

Julia Tarka also serves on several boards in town. — Jeanna Shepard

Ms. Tarka has worked in food service since she was a teenager, both where she grew-up in Shaker Heights, Ohio and at Flatbread Pizza Company on the Vineyard before it closed in 2016. 

Spending summers on the Island as a kid, she worked at the Edgartown Clothing Company, which was located across the street from where Rosewater currently stands. 

“That is always where I found success. Service is an interesting job for a bunch of reasons, but having those conversations with people [and] getting to know regular customers, has always been something I enjoyed,” she said.

Ms. Tarka quickly adds that she has had help along the way from many, including her family. Both of her parents played a role in shaping Rosewater from the start and it operates as a family business. 

Her father, Christopher Celeste, was the founder and president of Findaway, which produced the world’s first preloaded digital audiobook, which was later acquired by Spotify. Her stepmother, Nancy Kramer, is the chief evangelist for IBM Consulting and founder and former CEO of the marketing firm Resource/Ammirati.

It was her father who came-up with the name Rosewater, inspired by Kurt Vonnegut’s novel God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater. In the book, a man chooses to forgo his family fortune in favor of spreading kindness in his hometown. 

“There’s only one rule I know of [babies],” Ms. Tarka recited from memory. “God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.”

Kindness is the essence of Ms. Tarka’s business philosophy.

She said her employees behind the counter, who always greet customers with a smile, keep them coming back even when mistakes are inevitably made. She also leans on the kindness of the Island community, naming many who have helped her navigate permitting, leases, kitchen construction and countless questions. 

“It’s a robust community of people who want to help you [and] I think that’s one of the reasons as a 21-year-old I was successful,” she said. 

Not long after opening Rosewater Market, Ms. Tarka began to serve on several town committees, using her own experience to support others. 

After renovating Rosewater’s building and helping to restore the Yellow House with her father, where Lululemon is now located, she became a member of the Edgartown historic district commission. She has served on the board in numerous positions for nearly a decade. 

“I work in one of these buildings every day, so I understand that perspective of being in a historic building,” Ms. Tarka said. 

Ms. Tarka is also president of the Edgartown Board of Trade, where she helps businesses, many owned by women like herself, form meaningful relationships with others in town. 

“This fabric of small businesses is so meaningful, and it still exists here in a way that it might not [on] Main streets in other places,” Ms. Tarka said. “I think that is so much of the charm of Edgartown — the natural beauty of the place, the historic structures, the maritime community and the small businesses.”

Ms. Tarka also recently joined the Edgartown finance committee, helped with permitting for the new Martha’s Vineyard Boys & Girls club facility and served on the search committee for the new Edgartown School principal. 

She said she’s always been civic minded, something her family installed in her from a young age. Her grandfather, Richard Celeste, was the governor of Ohio from 1983 to 1991.

But the hardest, and most rewarding, role of all, she said, is being a mother. Ms. Tarka has three children and is expecting her fourth. She said they are her biggest motivation. 

“My kids are the most important thing in the world to me, so the things that they are going to interact with, I want to be the best they can be, for my kids and for everybody else’s kids,” she said.