Today we’d like to introduce you to Stacey Sawyer.
Hi Stacey, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
For My Sister – Making It Bigger with Pineapple Picasso
Pineapple Picasso was born from grief, love, and the unshakable bond I shared with my younger sister.
She was just 47 when she lost her battle with Multiple Myeloma in 2018. Her death broke me in ways I didn’t expect. In my pain, I turned to art—not as a profession, but as a way to cope. I began creating resin pieces, pouring my sadness, love, and memories into every stroke. It became my therapy, my way to keep her with me.
My sister adored pineapples—so much that I named my studio after her. Pineapple Picasso is not just a business; it’s her legacy.
After 30 years as a public-school teacher supporting students with special needs, I felt a shift. The pandemic and a devastating hurricane left me feeling disconnected from the classroom. Teaching had been my calling, but not my purpose anymore. At 54, I realized it was time to follow a different path—one that honored my sister and helped others heal through creativity, as I had.
In my search for peace, I even met with a medium. Skeptical but desperate for a connection, I asked, “What does my sister think about my art?” The medium paused, looked up, and said, “She said make it bigger.” That was all I needed to hear.
And I did. I began entering craft shows, then had my pieces accepted into a few stores. I spent four years volunteering at Cape Coral re:Made, a nonprofit that supported local artists and entrepreneurs. There, I learned what it would take to run a business. I also enrolled in a Goodwill Industries business course and realized how much more there was to understand, especially about finances—but I pushed forward.
Then, tragedy struck again. A Category 5 hurricane destroyed Cape Coral re:Made, the very place where I and many artists shared our work. That’s when I knew Pineapple Picasso needed to become more than just my dream—it needed to be a safe, creative home for our entire artist community.
On June 20, 2023, I opened the doors to Pineapple Picasso. We operate on a 70/30 artist-to-store split, allowing local creatives to display and sell their work while supporting the store’s operation. We also teach art classes to share the healing power of creativity.
To sustain the business, I created The Splatter Spot—a black-lit, neon paint experience where guests throw, squirt, and splash paint in a room full of music and laughter. It’s not just a fun attraction, it’s a place for families to reconnect, kids to socialize, and adults to de-stress. It’s a place where joy returns.
Pineapple Picasso is more than an art studio—it’s a space born from love, loss, and the courage to begin again. My sister’s memory lives in every corner of this business. I am committed to honoring her by continuing to grow, support other artists, and bring creativity and healing to our community.
With your support, I can keep “making it bigger”—just like she told me to.
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?
Since I have never been a business owner, I have had to learn everything along the way. The biggest struggle has been taxes, finances, and anything to do with numbers since I don’t have an analytical mind…..it’s a creative mind. Marketing was a struggle also. I had to figure out what worked and what didn’t work on social media and which advertising I would actually invest in.
When I first started, the artists that sold their items in Pineapple Picasso could either volunteer 20 hours a week for 70% of their sales, or they could do a 50/50 split if they didn’t want to work. This way I would have help in the store. They all started out working, but eventually, most of my artists opted for the 50/50 split and I only had 4 artists left that wanted to volunteer. I desperately needed the help with the Splatter Spot and birthday parties.
So, after a year of being in business, I began advertising for more artists, brought them on board only if they volunteered, and dropped the others. Now, all of my 11 artists must volunteer to sell their items in the store.
Another struggle has been supplies. An art studio has to have a lot of supplies and storage for all the art classes we do. The more options our patrons have to add to their artwork, the more they will want to come to Pineapple Picasso instead of other art studios. I am slowly building up those supplies.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As a public school teacher, I always had to be creative to push my students to love learning. Because of my teaching background, my art classes have never been a struggle for me. I’m just teaching adults instead of kids. Once you do one class, you find out what works and what doesn’t and adjust.
When I first opened Pineapple Picasso, my artists were very nervous to teach art classes. After watching me do them, and giving them advice along the way, they have all become great teachers! I think that’s what sets us apart from other art studios. We keep our classes small, 12 or under, so we can give more individualized instruction, make sure they are happy with their project, and most of all, make sure they have a good time. We build relationships with our patrons and make good friends along the way.
We wanted to do something special for our customers, so we created the Pineapple Picasso Golden Apron. If they take 10 art classes from us, they receive the golden apron and their picture on our wall of fame. It has been a almost a year since we started this, and we already have 11 members with more on the way. Making our customers feel special is very important to us.
The Splatter Spot, where customers spray paint at each other, is our extra income for our art studio. We get clientele in our store that normally would not step foot in an art store. They see all the beautiful arts and crafts, and may even make some purchases. This helps us market to a much wider range of people. The laughing and screams that we hear every time someone experiences the Splatter Spot, never gets old, and we always make sure they have had a wonderful time.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
My favorite memory always includes my little sister. I remember always being outside on the swing set with her trying to get her to crawl across the top bar…she never would. I remember her trying to give me a piggy back ride, but I fell and hit my head on the piano. In the summertime, we would walk to Pizza Hut just to play the Pac Man game they had at the front of the store. We were super excited when our dad got us an Atari set. We would ride our bikes everywhere, including the Custard Stand to get some ice cream. In high school, I would drive her and her friends up and down the main strip in town, because that was the thing to do. The only time we separated was when we went to college, otherwise, we were always together. Losing her was the hardest thing for me, and still is.
Pricing:
- Art Classes ranges from $35-$89
- Splatter Spot ranges from $29.95 a person to $24.95 a person.
- Birthday Parties are $349.95
- Artwork and Crafts in the store range from $5-$450
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pineapplepicasso.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pineapplepicassollc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pineapplepicasso/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Pineapplepicassollc
