Luxury Picnics: Meet The Woman Behind This New Franklin Business

FRANKLIN, WI — This Franklin entrepreneur is bringing a new trend to the area with her latest business plan: luxury picnics.

It's exactly as it sounds — picnics, but luxurious. Charcuterie boards, chocolate covered strawberries, yard games and more, all enjoyed in the beauty of nature, except someone else does all the planning, lugging and dirty work.

It's the brainchild of Franklin local Aneta Acevedo who told Patch she was largely inspired by similar businesses on the east and west coasts that she saw on social media.

It's not Acevedo's first venture. In the midst of the pandemic last November, she took a leap of faith by founding her interior design business, LUX Designs by Aneta, LLC, which has been met with success, she told Patch.

The interior design business is here to stay, but Acevedo is now branching out into the hospitality industry as well.

After seeing the luxury picnics some people were hosting in sunny coastal cities, she wondered if such a thing would be possible in Wisconsin.

"My first thought was we can do that in Wisconsin," Acevedo said. "Wisconsin summers are to die for."

What better way to find out, than to give it a shot?

Acevedo enlisted her son's girlfriend to help out with some initial plans. They went down to Bender Beach in Oak Creek and made a mock-up picnic to take photos.

Apparently, beachgoers were amazed by the idea. One woman told her that they love the idea of picnics, but the heavy carrying and planning is just too much, Acevedo said.

"We want to provide families the opportunity to get outdoors and relax," Acevedo said.

Luxury Picnics had its first client within days: a husband and wife (and twins on the way). The couple told Acevedo its one last hurrah before the mother needs to focus on the pregnancy.

The business model is quite flexible. Potential clients can get in touch with Acevedo to determine what they want and what the budget is, and they go from there, Acevedo said. Bridal parties, family get-togethers up to 12 people, proposals and more are all possibilities, she said.

"I can take any budget and make it look like a million bucks," Acevedo said.

The luxury picnic idea is only a "side hustle" compared to the other ventures Acevedo has been taking on recently.

Her full scale interior design business took off during the pandemic. With the travel ban in effect and people sheltering inside from COVID-19, people had a lot of extra time on their hands — some had some extra cash, too.

"Many clients have lived here [Franklin] for 10-12 years, but they tell me they never made their house a 'home'," Acevedo said.

Acevedo performs interior design guidance, which includes minor details such as sewing new window treatments and color consultations, to full home renovations. A current client is having their whole Franklin home remodeled under the guidance of Acevedo, she said.

Acevedo said she's very fortunate for the success her design business has seen. Many small businesses had to close, but for Acevedo, the timing of her business was what helped it get off the ground — many of those homebound people with extra cash reached out to Acevedo during the pandemic.

That's not to say Acevedo has met trials and tribulations in her journey, though. Two bouts of COVID-19 knocked her back and almost left the design business in the dust, she said.

"Luckily, I'm blessed to have had understanding clients," Acevedo said. "They kept reaching out."

Beside the design business and the new luxury picnic business, Acevedo works about 30 hours a week for Franklin Public Schools as a special education assistant and is currently attending the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee for a degree in special education, she said. Acevedo plans to graduate in 2022.

"I'm blessed to have found where I belong in my 40s," Acevedo said. "I feel like the universe has aligned."

Acevedo's next goal is to land a commercial contract with her interior design business within the next five years, she told Patch.

Learn more about LUX Designs by Aneta and her new luxury picnic business at her Facebook page. Get in touch with Aneta Acevedo at luxdesignsbyaneta@yahoo.com or 414-393-7523.