Picnic Smoothie Bar

The idea

For as long as I can remember, I’ve dreamed about opening a smoothie bar in Door County.

I’m 22 years old, still a college student, and definitely learning as I go, but I’ve always known I wanted to create something of my own. After spending so much time in Door County and falling in love with the community here, the idea of opening a smoothie bar up here was always in the back of my mind.

Eventually, I decided I didn’t want to keep waiting for “someday.”

That’s how Picnic started.

Bringing the Idea to Life

This summer played a huge part in turning that dream into reality. I had the opportunity to intern with Midsommar Girls here in Door County, where I got hands-on experience with marketing, branding, content creation, collaborations, events, and the work that goes into building a brand people connect with.

Being surrounded by other creative, local businesses taught me so much. I started looking at Picnic differently. I started seeing Picnic as a brand I could build now, instead of just a smoothie bar I wanted to open someday.

I knew I didn’t want Picnic to feel like just a place to grab a smoothie. I wanted to create an entire experience around it, something that felt like Door County summers, fresh fruit, red gingham, beach days, and grabbing a smoothie with your friends.

There have been a lot of versions behind the scenes. Different names, logos, colors, recipes, menus, and probably way too many ideas in my Notes app. But once Picnic came together, it finally felt like the idea I had pictured for so long.

Then came the scary part: actually putting it out into the world.

Picnic’s First Pop-Up

This September, I hosted Picnic’s first-ever pop up at June’s Farmhouse in Sister Bay.

For months, Picnic had mostly existed in my head, on my phone, and in conversations with the people around me. Seeing the cups lined up, the gingham lids, the menu, and people actually ordering the smoothies I had spent so much time creating was such an amazing feeling.

And the response was better than I could have hoped for.

People showed up, brought their friends, took pictures with their smoothies, shared Picnic on social media, and asked what was coming next. Seeing people genuinely excited about something I created gave me so much confidence in what Picnic could become.

The pop-up wasn’t just a fun day. It was the first chance I got to see this dream exist outside of my imagination and it showed me that there really is a place for Picnic here.

What’s Next?

I’m still figuring out a lot of this for the first time, but I think that’s part of what makes building Picnic so exciting.

Since the pop-up, things have been moving pretty quickly behind the scenes. I’ve been learning more about the business side, making plans, having some very exciting conversations, and slowly figuring out what the next chapter of Picnic could look like.

The pop-up was only the beginning.

Thank you to everyone who came out, bought a smoothie, followed Picnic, shared a post, gave me advice, or simply told me that you loved the idea. And a huge thank you to the people and businesses I’ve learned from this summer who gave me the confidence to actually go for it.

Watching a dream I’ve had for years slowly turn into something real is pretty surreal. I’m so excited to keep building Picnic and share more along the way.

See you at the next Picnic! 🍒