Meet Erin Lester | Owner of Honeybee Picnics

We had the good fortune of connecting with Erin Lester and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Erin, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I started Honeybee Picnics because I’m always looking for fun or unique things to do on the weekend and I love being outside! At first, I really didn’t know what people would think of my business, but I was enjoying going to different spots around the Clear Lake/La Porte area and creating picnic setups to post online. This business has inspired me to go out and explore my own community which led me to find places other people might not know about. This area is filled with so many beautiful waterfront parks and other areas where you can just sit and enjoy the scenery. Honeybee Picnics allows me to be creative and brighten other people’s day. Hearing the couples tell me how happy they are with their picnic is one of the best feelings and I hope I can continue to provide luxury picnics to many more people in my area!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My luxury picnics setups are designed to reflect a theme that brings the customer joy! I have plenty of predesigned picnics on my website, but I also have the option to build your own picnic with you or your significant other’s favorite colors. I always get so excited when the customer gives me creative freedom to design the picnic and they end up falling in love with it. It makes the challenges of my business so worth it in the end. One of the challenges of running my business is relying on the weather to determine if I can have a picnic or not. Although it has been a struggle to wait for the rain to stop, or for the weather to cool off, it has taught me to be patient with myself and the situations that I’m not in control of.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
A few of my favorite parks to go to are Buffalo Bayou, Sylvan Beach, or Bay Area Park. I love trying new places to eat at or going to my favorite coffee shops every weekend. Some of my favorite places that I would take someone to if they were visiting Houston are Sugar Mountain for coffee, Giacomo’s Cibo e Vino for dinner, and the Chocolate Bar for dessert. In my opinion, the Strand in Galveston is one spot that I never get tired of going to. I enjoy shopping, eating the delicious seafood, and admiring the architecture of the buildings down there.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I truly would not be where I am today without the encouragement of all my family. My parents, grandparents, boyfriend, and friends have pushed me to pursue this business even when I feel like giving up. I could think of so many ways the people in my life directly impact my business. My mom always helps me with my picnic setups, my dad helped me build my classic wooden picnic table, and my stepmom gave me tips on building my website, my stepdad and grandmother gave me tips on how to market my business, my boyfriend and his family supported me by being one of my first customers. Those are only a few examples of how much their actions have really impacted me and my business. I have also built relationships with other small business owners in the community who are so welcoming and kind to a new business owner like myself. I always appreciate how they repost my pictures, leave kind comments on my posts, and shout out Honeybee Picnics to others!

Website: https://honeybeepicnics.squarespace.com

Instagram: @honeybeepicnics