Raised in foster care in a small town in central Illinois, Shannon Fernandez spent much of her childhood with her grandparents in a household where birthdays and holidays were not celebrated. Rather than let her upbringing define her, Fernandez used it as a springboard to create something self rewarding where her creative intuition could flourish freely. In 2021, she launched Eleven7 PicNic & Event Co., a business born from her passion for design and a desire to give others what she had longed for: celebration.
The name—Eleven7 PicNic & Event Co.—represents Fernandez’s birthday.
“My birthday as a child was never celebrated so when I was trying to think of a name I wanted to evoke the sense of celebration,” Fernandez said. “It’s a way to heal my inner child."
While Fernandez’s business began with small picnics, she has since grown to accommodate larger events, including bridal showers, baby showers, and even micro weddings. With more than 200 specially curated picnics, Fernandez takes pride in offering unique designs for each occasion.
“None of them have been exactly the same. When you book with us, you're going to get something that nobody has seen before when it comes to the tablescape, flowers, and everything in between,” Fernandez said.
Looking ahead to her fourth season in 2025, Fernandez aims to hire her first employee and expand her offerings during the colder months.
“I'm usually really slow during the colder months because I do a lot of picnics at the beach and the park, so I'm going to collaborate with a couple of people during the colder months to use an indoor studio to offer indoor picnics and a photography session as well,” Fernandez said.
In addition to Eleven7 PicNic & Event Co., Fernandez has embarked on an additional entrepreneurial journey: co-founding Women Owned NWI, a networking group dedicated to supporting women-owned businesses in the Region.
“We offer a lot of networking events, including workshops,” Fernandez said. “We want to be the place where people go to find out who the women-owned businesses are and learn how to support them. A lot of our members have been able to meet, collaborate, and grow their businesses. It’s just a really great community."
Fernandez encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to be inspired and take risks, both big and small. Sometimes, the simplest of conversations could lead to the most rewarding of ideas.
“I was at a coffee shop with a friend of mine, and she showed me on Instagram these people that she follows, and they were doing these extravagant picnics at the beach, and I knew right then what I wanted to do,” Fernandez said. "I love designing and decorating, so by the next week, I had launched my own Instagram and purchased enough supplies to do the first Eleven7 PicNic & Event Co. setup."
As a supportive mother, Fernandez credits her three children as her greatest motivators.
“It's better to try and fail than not try it all,” Fernandez said. “If it wasn't for my children, I wouldn't be where I am today. They gave me that drive to persevere and figure out how I was going to make money and be able to take care of them.”
For more information about Eleven7 PicNic & Event Co., be sure to check out its on Instagram at @eleven7picnic, or connect with Women Owned NWI at @womenownednwi.