Biography of Ms. Joan Baker

Mrs. Joan Baker, the proprietress of RAE’s Tobacco Shop, was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts where her father was Vice President of Burdette College. In 1961 the family relocated to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where her father had accepted the position of President of Robert Morris College, an institution he was to administer for over 30 years. Majoring in Psychology at Westminster College, New Wilmington, PA and graduate education at the University of Miami at Ohio assured Joan a quality education.

Joan eventually married Col. Alfred Baker (U.S. Army, now retired). She traveled extensively throughout Europe and the Middle East gaining much of her cultural awareness and international flair through personal contact with many of the great political and cultural figures of the "Cold War" period.

The Bakers are deeply committed to the family life. While traveling throughout the world as a military family, they raised and educated 6 wonderful children who, in turn, have given them 10 grandchildren.

A natural entrepreneur, she opened RAE’s Tobacco Shop at 3rd Street, Harrisburg, PA in 1997. Success came rapidly to RAE’s. She expanded and relocated her shop to the prestigious Strawberry Square business section of Harrisburg in November 1997. Only a block from the State Capital complex, she provides cigars and pipe services for many of the local law firms, hotels as well as the occasional legislator who frequent her shop.

Her good business sense and deep concern for customer satisfaction has earned her the respect of the RAE’s Tobacco Shop customers. Her low prices, meanwhile, continue to attract new customers almost daily. Often having cigar shows and presentations by various venders at the shop, she steadily expanded her presence within the greater Harrisburg.

Success has not led Joan Baker to take her customers for granted. In the competitive cigar/pipe business, she is often quoted as saying, "I treat customers as if my shop totally depends on them. It does."

Mrs. Baker’s knowledge of cigars, cigarettes and pipes is extensive. She often amazes the shop’s patrons with her vast repertoire of information. She can provide insight into cigar fillers, binders and wrappers, the different types of pipes and pipe tobacco and the almost unlimited variety of cigarettes currently on the market. She is particularly helpful in assisting both the seasoned cigar smoker as well as the newcomer in their selections from among the various cigar wrappers. This can often be a daunting task due to the recent introduction of several new types wrappers (e.g., the Havana 2000, etc.). If you have a question, Joan will have the answer.

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