Ashley Augusty
The creative team at Twenty Seven Community is making a name for themselves here in Lakeland. The company specializes in reasonably priced handcrafted home decor. Art ranges from handmade prints to macrame and no-kill cacti.
The team is composed of all-female college students who specialize in different types of artwork. Business owner Jenna Cherry first came up with the company in August 2017.
“The business came out of a season of depression and anxiety,” Cherry said. “I figured the only thing that really helped me feel like myself again was making.”
After that, the team of TSC quickly went to work, holding creative meetings at night to discuss any new ideas they had. From that, TSC launched its first online store for customers to enjoy their products. Cherry said the focus of the team’s artwork is to bring sunshine to everyone’s homes.
“Everything is handmade because that is what we’re passionate about,” Cherry said. “We would honestly still be making art even if it wasn’t for sale.”
Cherry wants anyone who sees her business to understand that what we put in our homes really matters. A home is a space that can comfort people and make them feel safe when needed. TSC wants to help the best way they can with the process of making a home feel and look like a home.
“Even on cloudy days, we want our decor to remind them of sunshine,” Cherry said.
Kierra Hickombottom, a junior at Florida Southern College reviewed TSC’s website as inspiration for decorating her apartment next year.
“I really like all the colors and simple prints that they have,” Hickombottom said. “I would love to see what more they come up with. I would definitely shop their next pop-up shop.”
The hardest part for the TSC team would be finding time to create new decor. This is especially true for Cherry since she is a full-time junior at Southeastern University.
However, this won’t stop the team from continuing to become a household name in Lakeland.
In five years, Cherry hopes that she and the TSC team can keep growing in online sales and social media following, along with more pop-up shops in a few new markets in central Florida. Cherry’s dream is to own a brick and mortar store in downtown Lakeland for her customers to shop in. She also hopes that she’ll be able to support another startup business at the same time.
“I’d love a fairly big space and to pair up with a coffee startup,” Cherry said. “That would be such a unique experience for Lakelanders to enjoy.”
To purchase art, you can find them on their website at twentysevencommunity.com. You could also message their company on its personal Instagram @twentysevencommunity.