Meet Angela Byrnes of Southern Picnics

Today we’d like to introduce you to Angela Byrnes.

Hi Angela, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started Southern Picnics in September of 2020 as a way to enrich and support the Raleigh community. I fell in love with picnicking in 2018 while visiting Prague. My boyfriend and I packed a picnic basket and spent hours on the banks of the Vltava River enjoying champagne, charcuterie, and each other’s company. We stayed there talking and laughing until it turned dark and it’s become one of my favorite memories together.

Upon returning home to Raleigh, I bought my first vintage picnic basket so I could recreate that special afternoon in Raleigh. After many picnics in parks all around Raleigh and hardly seeing anyone picnicking in them, I decided I wanted to share this almost-forgotten way of spending time together. And so, Southern Picnics was born.

But just as much as I love creating special afternoons for others, it’s equally as important to me to support the Raleigh community. That’s why Southern Picnics partners exclusively with women and minority-owned businesses located in Raleigh to curate a picnic experience. It’s truly my pleasure to work with these incredible businesses in our community to create a luxury Raleigh picnic experience.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I have been incredibly lucky in that everyone I have done business with – from my partners to my clients – has been kind and encouraging. We have a wonderfully supportive community here in Raleigh! That aside, owning my own business is unlike any job I’ve ever had. There aren’t “core hours” or “weekends and holidays off” — I’m always thinking about the business and how to improve it. It’s like having an extension of myself out there for everyone to see, so initially I wanted everything to be perfect before I launched. I spent hours pouring over my website, brand colors, my logo, even Instagram captions before I would push elements live. In hindsight, of course nothing can ever be perfect. But I found I was my own hardest critic and was preventing myself from starting a lot of opportunities because I was being too meticulous about details. I have since learned, and try to continue to learn, to take leaps and tweak later on.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Southern Picnics is a woman-owned business in Raleigh, North Carolina. We provide the set-up and clean-up of luxury picnics within the Raleigh area. We incorporate an assortment of new and old items into our picnics, many of our vintage décor items dating back to the 1950s. Our picnics are specially curated to encompass the spirit of traditional French picnics but with a classic Americana charm. We take pride in providing an all-American-style picnic and partner exclusively with women and minority-owned businesses to curate the picnic experience.

Pricing:

• Picnic for Two – $150 for 2 hours
• Picnic for Three – $2oo for 2 hours
• Picnic for Four – $250 for 2 hours

Contact Info:

• Email: southernpicnics@gmail.com
• Website: https://www.southernpicnics.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southernpicnics/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SouthernPicnics/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/SouthernPicnics

Image Credits
First two photos are by Sarah Leying Christmas picnic photo is by Lusuriello Photography