On a wild whim, the day before our anniversary in 2021 and in the fiery depths of COVID, a crazy idea came to my mind. A business idea that I just KNEW in my bones would succeed. Not because I'd ever ran a successful business before - but because I was SO excited about it that I knew I would do anything in my power to make it work.
The seed was really planted about a month prior - all the businesses were closed down due to COVID, but Chad and I sorely needed a date night, so, with limited options, we took a drive to Stratford, found a brewery doing curbside pickup, grabbed some to-go nachos + a couple craft beers, found a spot near the river, threw a blanket down and had the best time in a long time. There was something about creating that intentional time together. A few weeks later, we had my birthday picnic at Victoria Park, this time with charcuterie. I remember thinking, "this is such a damn vibe. I NEED to share this feeling."
After many conversations, brainstorming, and decision-making, we jumped both feet in, and with a 3 month old (and a 5 yr old!) in tow, we began taste-testing local charcuterie companies, sourcing all of the inventory and materials needed to get the business off the ground, built a website and brand from scratch, planned several styled shoots. Our brand was the most important thing to us. We wanted this business to personify us; our values and core beliefs. A whole evening was spent, wine in hand, debating what to call ourselves. We didn't want to pinhole ourselves into one 'niche' and so crossed naming ourselves anything to do with picnics - simply put, we knew we wanted to eventually be bigger than just picnics.
We landed on 3 packages, 2 themes, a badass auxiliary of likeminded small businesses we knew we needed by our sides (looking at you Shay Frances Photography, Brie + Poppy Co., Tied Together by Laura, By Two Fields). With NO real idea if we would succeed and only blind optimism on our side, we launched. Much to our freakin' delight, people GOT it. They stood beside us in droves. The support we've received from friend and stranger alike is unreal. I won't lie, when we got a booking on our first day upon launching, I FREAKED out. Little did we know, a picnic company a few towns over had noticed our social media, and recommended us to a relative close by us. (WE LOVE YOU CHANTELLE/SUNDAZE SAUBLE BEACH). THIS instance showed us the power of community and how important of a role having a relationship with fellow small businesses would be.
We are so excited to be going into our third year of picnics and events, and most importantly are THE most grateful for the clients we've met and friendships we've made along the way.
See ya at your next picnic!
xo Court