Conversations with JaTaun Brazile of Five Star Pop-Ups

Today we’d like to introduce you to JaTaun Brazile.

Hi JaTaun, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I started Five Star Pop-Ups with my husband, Cameron, in the midst of the pandemic. I’ve always been the friend who would pull a full set of wine glasses out of my bag at the most unexpected places, and you would never catch me without a full-on table cloth and life-like florals in my trunk. I love dining at new and old restaurants. I love meeting friends at the local wine bar. I love candles and chandeliers. It was really just the attention to detail and ambiance for me. My husband and I owned a mirror photo booth business for three years. It was a fascinating business because we were able to be a part of moments that people treasure forever. Unfortunately, the event industry quickly came to a complete halt when the pandemic hit. We started to get used to the idea of no longer being business owners. We figured that it was nice while it lasted and began to put it behind us completely. On Mother’s Day of 2020, I decided to create mini al fresco restaurants for our mothers and grandmother. We hadn’t spent time with them like we usually would due to the pandemic, so we set up something very special and quaint, consisting of a card table, table cloth, flowers, and a picture.

Our ladies loved the mini restaurant so much. It only made sense to allow everyone else to share this experience, especially with the isolation caused by the pandemic. This is what inspired us to start Five Star Pop-Ups. The goal was to create a luxury al fresco dining experience. We really wanted people to feel like they were at a mini-resort when they booked with us. We wanted to provide more than just an extravagant picnic. It took me a couple of months to roll everything out, but we were able to go live with several pre-bookings on July 1st of 2020. The great part of it all is that our children are also a huge part of the business. My 16-year-old son, Tyler, manages our marketing strategies and scheduling. He has also become an expert at setting up pop-ups. My daughter, Jolie, assists with floral arrangements and product development when she’s not dancing. We have a few attendants. One of them is my brother Jamal; he has mastered many of our setups and breakdowns. We also have our lead attendant, Rich, who has been a big part of our team and vision. We are really a great team. You can find all of us working behind the scenes to ensure that everything goes smoothly.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There are certainly many challenges when you are setting up a luxury space outdoors. The weather is definitely our biggest opponent. However, after lots of trial and error, I think we have it down fairly well. Another challenge is how much time you have to sacrifice to run any business. It seems that our evenings and weekends are pretty much booked up. I even spent my entire Valentine’s day digging in the sand and helping with a setup to ensure that all of our clients had the perfect date. My husband was at a completely different beach doing the same. Although we have a great staff, we often need to roll up our sleeves when booked out, and frankly, I love doing it. We also continue to improve and reinvent our services. Most of the upgrades are based on client feedback. We really listen to our clients. If there is any small request or suggestion, we take it seriously. We try our best to incorporate everything within reason. Although we’ve had to jump through hoops on occasion to accommodate clients with something we typically don’t provide, I wouldn’t have it any other way. If it takes me going out of my way just a bit to make someone’s engagement or birthday experience a little bit sweeter, I’m ok with that. I truly find joy in creating extraordinary spaces and seeing other people enjoy them. It’s really my thing!

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Five Star Pop-Ups provides luxury al fresco dining spaces. Our clients have the option of ordering through our menu or bringing their own food. We do all of the prep and clean-up. You simply arrive and enjoy like you would at a resort. We specialize in and are most known for our luxury tablescaping and extraordinary pop-up spaces, as well as our custom chandeliers that sparkle on the beach during sunset. Our inspiration comes from places we’ve traveled to and experiences that left an impression on us, such as candlelit dinners in Paris to beachside cabanas in Peninsula Papagayo. We wanted to bring this vibe to our pop-up spaces. The one thing we are most proud of is the way our clients feel when they arrive. The smiles are truly priceless!

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
The pandemic is what encouraged us to start this business. It’s so interesting because it is one of the safest ways to celebrate a milestone. We actually did all of the Covid-19 safety planning before we opened. It was great to give people an outlet. We feel really good about that. I think most of us will continue to learn from what has occurred for years to come. We actually suffered a great loss in our immediate family when my father-in-law passed early this year. We have been personally impacted like so many others have, so we understand how hard this time is. This business has really helped up focus on our goal to make others happy and enjoy ourselves along the way. The biggest takeaway from the crisis for us is really to enjoy the little things.

Contact Info:

• Email: bookings@fivestarpopups.com
• Website: fivestarpopups.com
• Instagram: @fivestarpopups
• Facebook: @fivestarpopups