Pop-up picnic trend arrives in Bellefonte, with a focus on supporting local businesses

While Bellefonte resident Renea Nichols was working remotely from California last year, she noticed a trend.

“I saw this woman putting together this elaborate picnic and I kept seeing these picnics while I was on the beach. At first, I thought it was someone just putting together this really nice picnic and I thought, ‘Wow, they went all out,’ ” she said.

Soon, Nichols realized that what she was observing was a business for pop-up picnics, an outdoor dining option that became popular during the pandemic.

“I knew right away that, when I got back to Bellefonte — and I live right across the street from Talleyrand Park — I wanted to do it,” Nichols said. “As soon as I got back, I started curating items, finding a table, things like that.”

She launched Spring Creek Picnics this spring.

The concept is simple. Nichols curates a picnic experience for her clients, including themed table settings and all of the accessories needed for an Instagram-worthy picnic. Clients provide their own food, but all of the planning, set up and clean up comes down to Nichols.

“Every picnic comes with obviously the place settings and the decor and a series of pillows. It also comes with water and duck food — real duck food, so they can feed the ducks if they want; we don’t want people feeding the ducks bread,” she siad. “I have a Bluetooth speaker for them so they can plan music. I have different lighting. I also have a picnic basket filled with old-school games, just so people can reconnect and have fun, play and talk.”

The experiences start at $150 for a two-hour experience for one to two people.

“The biggest expense is the pillows, the table and cleaning everything, so I cover my costs of doing all of that, but if you get your food from a local, Bellefonte-owned restaurant, it’s $125. I lower (the cost) right away. I want to encourage people to do that,” Nichols said.

And while Nichols encourages her clients to source their food locally, she also sources a lot of her supplies locally, too, looking to area antique stores and thrift shops for the real plates, silverware, glasses, candlesticks and other items she uses in her settings.

While at first Nichols’s marketing was mostly word-of-mouth and via curious onlookers noticing her picnics at Talleyrand Park, she now has an Instagram, Facebook page and website, and just recently won the Bellefonte SpringBoard Startup Challenge.

“I saw (the challenge) and was like, you know what, I’m going to apply. I wrote up a proposal and what I wanted to do and, lo and behold, I won,” Nichols said.

As a result, she’s received $2,000 for executing a marketing plan, a six-month SpringBoard membership and coaching services.

So far, Spring Creek Picnics has received rave reviews. But for Nichols, the greatest accomplishment with launching Spring Creek Picnics so far has been the opportunity to support and promote her favorite Bellefonte businesses.

“I thought this would be a great way to encourage people to use the park more, but also support my favorite local Bellefonte restaurants,” she said. “I love supporting local businesses. This was a way to combine all the things I love ... and I thought other people would love it as well. And who doesn’t love a picnic? ... I just want everyone to enjoy the park and support local restaurants. It truly is that goal in mind.”

To learn more about Spring Creek Picnics’ offerings, visit www.springcreekpicnics.com, www.instagram.com/springcreekpicnics/ or www.facebook.com/springcreekpicnics/.