Meet Lacey Medina | Owner of LaceLuxe Picnics LLC

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

Hi Lacey, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I wanted bring something of value to my community and to myself. I am a wife to an active duty airman, a mom to two kids – one of whom is special needs, and I work a full-time job, so I really had to consider if I wanted to add on starting my own small business as something else to my plate. After deliberation, I decided that I wanted to find something that I could do as a creative outlet and something that could bring joy to people. I was inspired when I came across an instagram page of a small picnic business in Phoenix, shout out to Whimsy Picnics! That was the first I had seen such a concept, and I thought how great that would be to have something like that in Tucson. I remember thinking how cool this kind of business was, and I felt called to begin my own picnic business journey. I felt this was something that would allow me to be creative and expressive and also something that could help delight my community and bring people together to celebrate things in one of the most special and unique ways. In the midst of an ongoing pandemic, an outdoor picnic is a safe way to spend time with loved ones, and a great way for me to curate something memorable for people. That is how LaceLuxe Picnics was born and it’s been very fulfilling to bring special moments to life for my wonderful clients for almost a full year now.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a mortgage production manager, and I have been in the mortgage business for about 15 years. I worked really hard in my corporate job to excel at my career which has helped me build great relationships with many people and given me so much knowledge in the industry. It has taught me valuable customer service and people skills, and I am proud my accomplishments in the corporate world. Outside of my regular full-time job, I do own 2 small businesses, LaceLuxe Picnics LLC and another business called Common Sensory. Common Sensory was inspired by my son who has autism and it is an apparel line that hand-makes witty and stylish graphic t-shirts that will have a saying or characteristic relating to special needs such as sensory processing disorder and autism in efforts to spread awareness, understanding and empathy for children and families with special needs. I am very proud of Common Sensory and the message that my apparel spreads, and my dream is to have my shirts sold in major retail stores so that kids and families with special needs can shop for graphic t-shirts that they can relate to.
I am also very proud of LaceLuxe Picnics and the effort and hard work I have put into it. it has been very fulfilling to hear about the great time my clients have at their picnics and how special it was for them. I love to bring people together and to make people happy, and it makes me proud to own a business that is accomplishing this.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would begin with finding some. of the best restaurants in town because I love to eat and have a nice cocktail. I love to check for these things on Yelp and on social media. In addition to restaurants, I would add good tea and coffee restaurants to take my friend to while we are out and about. Once we have our eating and drinking itinerary, I would look for local places to do activities at such as museums, plays, concerts, festivals, etc. I would also plan for at least one day of something outdoors such as a hike, a trip up to Mt. Lemmon, a nice park to visit, perhaps a luxe outdoor picnic, trip to the botanical garden, desert museum, etc.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to shoutout my husband, Daniel, and my kids, Jenavieve & Levi. They believe in me and in my ideas and they are a constant source of motivation in my life no matter what it is that I am pursuing. I can count on them to help me with anything. They love me unconditionally and push me to be a better person. I would also like to shoutout my late mom, Sue, who was always there for me and my family. I lost her at the beginning of my business venture which was difficult to get through, but I was motivated by seeing her strength in the midst of the worst time to keep going and I thank her for always believing in me. My brother, Christopher, deserves a shoutout for being a constant source of support in my life and someone I can always count on. My nieces, Destinie & Celeste, who help me out so much and always make me laugh until my stomach hurts. And of course my close circle of friends who listen to my crazy ideas and encourage me to go after them. It takes a village, and I am thankful for mine!

Website: www.commonsensory.bigcartel.com

Instagram: business is @LaceLuxePicnics, @Common.Sensory & personal is @Lalalalalacey

Yelp: Lacey G.

Other: I do lots of local business reviews / suggestions on TikTok – TikTok Handle is @LivingLaVidaLacey