As a young girl Tinnisha Lewis obsessed over the decor she saw at events she attended and always wondered whether or how she could make it better.
N ow 21 years old, Tinnisha is the CEO of two businesses: The Blanket Experience, which offers luxury picnics and other events and Snap and Go, a photo booth rental.
Originally from Skeldon, Berbice, she moved to live in Georgetown when she was very young and attended Green Acres Primary, St Stanislaus College and Queen’s College.
“As a child growing up, I was a tomboy. I shared most of my childhood experiences with boys as I connected with them easier. I was always hardworking in my studies because of my strict parents. I didn’t socialise so whenever I got the chance to go outside, I would just enjoy that as much as possible….” shared Tinnisha.
With a knack for designing, she was always recycling her clothing – taking it apart and making something else to wear. “I like knowing I can make something better,” Tinnisha said.
She did not go to many events as a girl, but whenever she did, Tinnisha scrutinised the decorator’s work: the colours and the styles used. While there were some good ones, there were some she abhorred like those with glittering gold tablecloths and gold runners.
Tinnisha pointed out that she doesn’t have a problem with gold. In fact, it is her favourite colour to work with as it illuminates and adds class. “I just don’t like the shimmering kind of gold,” she explained.
The Blanket Experience was launched on February 12 and is nearly two months old. It has already catered for four picnics and a birthday party.
Tinnisha revealed that her first client was a friend who was celebrating a 21st birthday and she decided to have the launch date coincide with the birthday celebration, which came off excellently.
Besides her creative mind, Tinnisha has had experience as a part-time event assistant and initially, she had an idea for another business, but that did not materialise.
Sharing how the idea came about, she said, “I saw something similar on TikTok while scrolling through one day. It was a luxury picnic done in America. I like luxurious and classy events. I [learnt] how to do that and have mastered it. I work on making it fun and unique for persons. We also set up karaoke at the picnics. At the time I didn’t see any other businesses like mine that would set up picnics here in Guyana but after I started The Blanket Experience, I learnt
that there are others. However, I haven’t seen any business providing luxury picnic set-ups, so I think that’s what’s unique about what I do. Even though it’s a picnic, we want it to be more of an experience. We want to bring you back to those days of families spending quality time together and having fun. I’ve invested in a Polaroid camera so I can snap families and friends together while they are having a good time. We give them that photo for keepsake. That is our gift to them for their service.”
Tinnisha shared that the service she provides is not a one-man job but requires teamwork. On her team she has Natachel Wilson, Jonathan Ferreira and her mother Donnette James. Together, they work on sewing the napkins and helping to plan. However, there is more work to do than enough hands to get it done and as such Tinnisha is looking to employ staff.
On Saturday last, she took on a 50th birthday party at Parfait Harmonie, West Bank Demerara. Overall, the setup took nine hours to complete and exhaustion set in. She realises now it’s important to work smarter rather than harder.
“People are surprised to see something like this available in Guyana. They like that it’s unique. We create these luxury picnics for couples but so far most have been for groups of friends,” Tinnisha said. “I’ve noticed that most persons prefer to surprise the [guest of honour] on their birthday. It makes me overjoyed and emotional to be a part of such occasions sometimes, probably because I’ve never had a surprise birthday party myself. Seeing how persons react makes me happy.”
One client loved the ambience that was created, said it was magic and would always be a memorable experience. Another was pleased and were grateful that Tinnisha and her team were patient as that client was late. She was complimented on her attention to detail which meant she was able to really cater to clients’ likes.
Details are important, said the entrepreneur. She noted that when a potential client reaches out, she first asks how many people she will be catering for, enquires about the theme and if there are any ideas or preference regarding decor. Sometimes clients would have a picture or two available for inspiration. Sometimes, they would leave it up to Tinnisha to create her magic.
Pulling off the scenes of her picnics is not always easy. Often she goes on quite the quest from store to store to find the right décor. When she can’t find what she needs locally, she extends her search which sometimes results in her having to import what is required to pull off the perfect setting.
She has already been booked for a few other upcoming events. In another five to ten years, if all goes as planned, Tinnisha, in partnership with a friend, will be providing the service regionally to companies.
At the moment she is awaiting word from several companies having sent off proposals for providing decor for Mother’s Day events.
Currently, Tinnisha is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science at the University of Guyana. Though it’s not exactly in the same field as the business she runs, she noted it has been beneficial to her creating fliers and logos for her businesses.
In her downtime, she likes to focus on improving her mental health by journaling and, recently, reading books on persons dealing with anxiety. She also likes clothing shopping, browsing Pinterest for decor ideas, and walking around Georgetown looking for random things she can add to her decor collection. She also loves to travel and shared that being a missionary for the Kaneville Full Gospel Church, affords her the opportunity to do so.
Tinnisha also loves to eat, especially Cook-up of any kind and any dish with prawns and curry.
Her luxury picnics start at $20,000. Picnics and parties can be hosted at the client’s desired location. Bookings should be made at least two weeks in advance for picnics and a month prior for birthday parties.
Tinnisha can be followed on Facebook and TikTok @ The Blanket Experience or Instagram @tbe.gy and contacted at telephone number: 649-0597.
