Meet Kernesha Weatherly | The Wrap Queen

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

Hi Kernesha, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
The idea comes easy. It’s the actual starting that’s the hard part. I literally have to tell myself “Don’t Quit or Just Keep Going”, multiple times a week.

Starting a business brings parts of out of you, you didn’t even know where there. This is especially true for those who still work a full time job.

For years, the only time I saw wrapping paper that represented us, was during the Christmas holidays. And even then it was one, maybe two designs.

I wanted to change that.

In addition to bringing more flavor to the holidays, I wanted to enhance the world of gift giving and celebrate the Diaspora 365 days a year.

Black people have so many things to celebrate and it’s time we do just that.

Now, more than ever, I know what it means to not be represented. This is my attempt to change that.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Makena Prints is a stationery boutique committed to bringing representation and diversity to the world of gift giving. We are doing this primary through wrapping paper and gift bags.

Although we aren’t the first to do it, what sets us apart is that we will this beyond the Christmas holidays. From baby showers, to birthdays, and more, we are bringing it all.

This road was definitely not easy. This is a 5 year plus dream that’s finally coming into fruition. One of the things I am now msg thankful for is the amount of lead time I’ve had to work out the kinks. COVID forced me to slow down and rethink things.

I am here to fill a void that has been present for far too long.

I founded Makena Prints on the understanding that we cannot rely on someone else to properly portray us.

Why is this important?
Because exposure is key.
Because Representation Matters ✊🏾

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
First things first we would hop over to Jeju. Spend about 4 hours scrubbing away all the evils of the world. Then we would hop over to South City Kitchen for some good eats.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Major shout out to everyone who has ever wanted to be seen. To be heard. To be represented in the stationery world. Know that we hear you. That we see you and we are bringing the noise!

Website: www.MakenaPrints.com

Instagram: @MakenaPrints

Twitter: @MakenaPrints

Facebook: Makena Prints

Other: Pinterest and TikTok: Makena Prints

Image Credits
BBMedia