JBLM’s Home-Based Business program benefits spouses, families

Photo By Allison Hoy | Joint Base Lewis-McChord Army spouse Gina Henry — owner of Gina’s Bakery, a JBLM Home-Based Business — poses with her baked goods in Waller Hall, Lewis Main, on May 11, as part of the HBB program’s monthly pop-up event.  

TACOMA, WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES

05.29.2026

Story by Allison Hoy 

Joint Base Lewis-McChord Public Affairs Office     

JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. – Joint Base Lewis-McChord Army spouse Gina Henry’s dream is to open her own bistro. And thanks to JBLM’s Home-Based Business Program, she’s working toward making that dream a reality.

Henry opened Gina’s Bakery, one of about 25 HBBs on JBLM, in 2025, after moving to the installation in 2024. But she’s been working in the kitchen since her mother put her there as a little girl growing up in Haiti.

“At first I didn’t like it,” she said.

Eventually, however, she grew to love cooking and attended culinary school after high school.

“I’m not only a very creative person — I’m also a chef,” Henry said, adding that she loves seeing people’s faces when they take first bites of her creations.

While preparing food for her church, people were complimentary of her work and suggested she open her own business.

So, she did — in her home at JBLM.

To get started, she completed the official HBB registration process, coordinated by JBLM Morale, Welfare and Recreation.

Registration steps include the following:

1. Contact the HBB program manager at [e-mail] or 520-725-1972 to schedule an appointment to receive an application packet to start the process.
2. Visit the appropriate district’s Liberty Military Housing Office to obtain, review and sign an addendum to an existing lease.
3. Obtain the following:
   • A Washington State business license: https://dor.wa.gov/open-business
   • General liability insurance, in accordance with the LMH addendum
   • A Washington State Cottage Food Operation Permit, if wanting to sell food: https://agr.wa.gov/cottagefood
   • A Washington State Food Worker Card, if wanting to sell food: https://doh.wa.gov/community-and-environment/food/food-worker-and-industry/food-worker-card
4. Gather signatures from several base offices.
5. Return the completed packet to the HBB office, so it can be routed to JBLM’s Judge Advocate General/Legal Office for legal review, and then to the JBLM garrison commander for final approval.

Once she was registered, Henry was able to join her fellow HBB spouses for monthly pop-up events, where they sell their goods to the JBLM community in Waller Hall’s lobby on Lewis Main. The next event is scheduled for June 8 and 9, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

She also connected with the base’s other HBB owners online. Army spouse Ria Shay Mills, owner of a permanent and custom jewelry HBB at JBLM — Beloved Linx & Co. — helped start the group’s local, online presence after moving her business to JBLM from Fort Polk, Louisiana.

“It became super successful in Louisiana, and I knew that when I moved here, I wanted to bring that here with me,” Mills said. “I moved here and immediately — like, week one — I went to the HBB program office and I signed up.”

Mills said it was “pretty easy” to establish her HBB at JBLM and spoke highly of the group’s sense of community.

“We all support each other and encourage each other,” she said, adding that the business owners also help answer online questions about starting new HBBs.

Mills said the biggest thing her HBB has done for her is build her confidence. Her husband “advocates for my business so much because he’s seen so many of the benefits come from it,” she said.

Other JBLM HBB families reap those benefits, too, said Alice Kumagai, JBLM HBB program manager.

“Approved Home‑Based Businesses give our military families a safe, legal and supported way to pursue entrepreneurship within on‑post housing here at JBLM,” she said. “The program not only empowers spouses and residents to grow their skills and income but also strengthens our community by bringing unique services and products onto the installation.”

To learn more about JBLM’s HBB program, email mailto:[e-mail], call 520-725-1972 or visit https://jblm.armymwr.com/programs/home-based-business.

In addition to the HBB program, JBLM families can also access career and small‑business support through Armed Forces Community Service’s Employment Readiness Program. The ERP provides military spouses and other Department of War ID cardholders with resources such as career counseling, resume development, job‑search guidance and entrepreneurship‑focused workshops. These services help spouses strengthen their business skills, explore pathways for growing or launching a home‑based business, and connect with opportunities both on and off the installation — whether they’re building an HBB, re‑entering the workforce, or expanding their professional goals.

To learn more about the ERP, visit https://jblm.armymwr.com/programs/employment-readiness-program.

To schedule a one-on-one ERP appointment, visit http://afcs.timetap.com/.

• Date Taken: 05.29.2026
• Date Posted: 05.29.2026 12:02
• Story ID: 566427
• Location: TACOMA, WASHINGTON, US
• Hometown: TACOMA, WASHINGTON, US