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Punkin’s Passionate About Middleburg

Punkin Lee

Photo by Vicky Moon

By James Jarvis

Punkin Lee wears many hats. First, she’s the owner of Journeymen Saddlers on West Federal Street.

Now in its 43rd year, Journeymen has taken care of the equestrian needs of casual riders, adult and child, polo players, foxhunters and horse show amateurs and professionals from all over.

“Punkin has treated every request that I’ve brought her for more than 25 years with great professionalism and seriousness,” equestrienne Shannon Photo by Vicky Moon Davis recalled. Her most recent request Punkin Lee was no different, after she found an antique brass ornament. “I wanted to do something with it, but wasn’t certain how it was meant to be used.”

Shannon and her husband, Jim Davis, renovated a barn on their property, which included a new small wood paneled bathroom. “I decided to use the ornament here and in homage to Edward Ewbank, my trainer from New Zealand.”

“With great seriousness and no change of expression, Punkin selected the perfect brass plate and font for easy readership… ‘the loo’, ” Shannon said.

Several Journeymen employees have been working there almost from the beginning. The shop includes custom riding chaps, belts with finished needlepoint, and repairs to saddles, boots, tack and strap goods. Clients have included actor Tom Selleck and actress Kate Capshaw, married to movie mogul Steven Spielberg.

Punkin grew up in Middleburg. Her grandmother, Dorothy Lee, had show horses at a barn not far from the Middleburg Community Center and later, she trained racehorses at the family farm near town. Her father, Peaches Lee, was a beloved postmaster. Her mother, Nancy, had an advertising business.

And Punkin began riding at an early age. She gathered trophies and many blue ribbons on the horse show circuit. Beyond horses, her knowledge of local history is encyclopedic.

“When I tell her about a property I might be listing for sale in the area, she’ll likely know the many owners over the years,” said Cricket Bedford, a real estate agent with Thomas and Talbot. The two women and several others run the country roads together frequently.

“She’s also one of the hardest working people I’ve ever met,” Cricket added. “Once she finishes work at Journeyman, you’ll see her pickup truck still at the office working after hours likely on something for the town.”

Punkin is the long-time president of the Middleburg Business and Professional Association (MBPA). “We have so many events here that bring people into town that you can always kind of hang your hat on because that will be a good weekend,” she said, adding that MBPA is using social media and word of mouth to attract people to the village. She’s encouraged that more people are starting to feel more comfortable going out. As a business owner and third generation lifetime resident of Middleburg, Punkin remains committed to helping business owners any way possible.

She also serves as race chairman of The Virginia Fall Races, currently scheduled for October 10 at Glenwood Park. After years as the secretary of the Upperville Horse Show, she’s now on the board. And…at the National Sporting Library & Museum, she’s on the Honorary Advisory Board.

Cricket Bedford may have put it best.

“There’s not a person who cares more about our small slice of heaven we have here in Middleburg than Punkin.”