Meet Lorie-Anne Nevers of Blank Space in Kingston, Jamaica

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lorie-Anne Nevers.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born and raised in the beautiful country of Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica to be exact, with thoughts of being successful in the field of medicine. I remember telling everyone who asked me what I wanted to be when I grow up, that I wanted to be a Veterinarian, then by the next week, it would change to a pediatrician, then finally, in 11th grade, I decided on Forensic Science because let’s just say I watched way too much CSI.

One thing about me that has always remained constant was the fact that I LOVED fashion, I loved flipping through magazines, researching different designers and of course I loved to show up and show out in my outfits, which was my main way of expressing myself because I was really shy. Fashion was just something that was always fun and came easy to me. Back home it seemed like the only professions people praised you for was being a doctor, lawyer or engineer never something in the creative field, people just always thought that was unreasonable. I just always felt like I didn’t fit into any of those traditional molds, so by the end of 12th grade going into 13th grade (yes, we have a 13th grade), I realized I was becoming more interested in doing something creative and less structured. With the support of my parents, I decided that I wanted to pursue a career in the fashion industry but I knew it wasn’t going to be fashion design I wanted to focus more on the behind the scenes aspect of fashion, I wanted to know more about the business side of it so I decided on Fashion Marketing.

I remember when my school had a college fair, I was so excited but also at the same time nervous because I wasn’t sure if I was going to find a school that had exactly what I needed. Near to the end of the college fair, I found SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design), the school I was looking for all my life. I was sold on SCAD and though I applied to other schools, I just knew SCAD was my school. I decided on the campus in Atlanta and even though it was a small campus, I loved it, it had the city living I was looking for but also a southern charm that felt homey. My four years at SCAD were amazing, I got to learn and experience so much in not only the fashion industry but the creative industry as a whole. The great thing about SCAD is that they expose you to so many different areas of the creative industry that you never even knew existed and so you see that the possibilities are endless. For many of the classes I took, they had a business angle to it, many of the projects required us to think big and come up with smart, trendy business ideas, so this encouraged me to start thinking about entrepreneurship. From there I realized that with each project I did, I would always think about what business idea would work well back home in Jamaica, even though I love it here in Atlanta, Jamaica has always had my heart and I love thinking about ways to give back to my country and to help develop it in whatever way I know-how and in this case, I wanted to contribute in a creative way and so Blank Space was born.

Great, 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?
Honestly, nothing is ever too easy! I had so many doubts going into entrepreneurship. I was constantly questioning myself because originally I had planned to maybe find a job in New York or maybe California and work my way up and become this big fashion exec which I think a lot of people probably expected or maybe not because many people still think you can’t make a good living in fashion, but that wasn’t the case for me I went all into becoming an Entrepreneur which is not an easy road, believe me. I was always thinking am I making the right choice? Should I have just moved to New York as any normal person obsessed with fashion should? Are my ideas even that good? There are constant doubts and worries that come with Entrepreneurship, but with each day and God’s guidance I learn more and more about myself, and I’ve learned that it’s ok to fail, with every failure there is a success, it’s apart of the whole learning process, so I just really try to keep a positive mindset and push myself to be the very best and luckily I have amazing family and friends who support me.

Please tell us about Blank Space – what should we know?
The name of my business is Blank Space. Blank Space is 1100 sqft of anything you want it to be. It is a short term rental space with endless possibilities, offering you a blank canvas to do whatever you want. It is a pop-up space that creatives can make their own, creatives have an all-access pass to bring their ideas to life, whether they wish to paint the walls, build installs, anything! However, at the end of each event, Blank Space needs to be returned to its natural state. You can rent it for as short as a day to a maximum of three months. It is perfect for any event whether it is a pop-up, art showcase or small performance event.

I’m mostly proud whenever we have clients that go all out and express their creativity and we see their ideas come to life, I love being able to provide a platform for that back home.

I think what’s great about Blank Space is that there’s nothing really like it in Jamaica, most indoor places that are used for rentals are heavily restricting, they stifle creativity and so Blank Space was created to counter that.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Ok, so I’m faith-based so first and foremost God is everything and without him, I probably wouldn’t have the strength to continue.

Time management is also key, I mean who doesn’t love a good procrastination session but if you don’t manage your time wisely, the days just go by so fast and you quickly regret not doing what you had to get done, that can cripple your success big time!

Having a positive and supportive circle around me is very important to my success, they help keep me focused and excited to keep going.

Contact Info:

• Address: 30-32 Red Hills Road
  Kingston 10 Jamaica
• Phone: 1 (876) 406-7113
• Email: blankspaceja@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bl_nkspaceja/?hl=en

Image Credit:
Jik Reuben, Lorie-Anne Nevers, Kreative Market, World of Fame

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