‘It all started with a dream’

In 2020, Petrova Kenward visiting a friend in the United States who had artistically added rhinestone trimmings to her graduation cap and an outline of Jamaica topped with a local proverb.

Six months later, Kenward had a dream one night that the cap she had fallen in love with caused her to open a business in her native Jamaica.

The 30-year-old detailed how unexpected the dream was in a recent Gleaner interview.

Initially, she admitted, she had not thought about starting a business, but she quickly realised that this was a sign that she should pursue the local market.

“I didn't remember anything about the graduation cap. Nothing at all. I just got a dream ... . I wasn't thinking about any business because that was around the time that COVID-19 hit,” she said.

“Literally, a dream started it,” she added of the formulation of her business known as Petty Pieces, a name crafted from her moniker 'Petty K'.

Kenward was initially hesitant to launch the online customisation business because mortarboards are not a typical a part of local graduation ceremonies.

However, she used 2021 to conduct research and plan how best she and her business partner, Tatee Virgo-Morgan, would operate the business in 2022.

Since then, the local store has assisted many graduands in creating chic, personalised graduation caps to accentuate their graduation photo sessions and ceremonies.

Although the store also sells souvenir items for different occasions, including weddings, baby showers, and birthdays, Kenward said that the graduation cap toppers have so far been the best-seller.

The duo also manage Krafty Kulture Ja, a décor-centred business.

Kenward, however, said that the materials sourced locally were of poor quality and that she has been forced to import instead.

But “really and truly I want to support the locals”, she expressed.

The fact that some schools have refused to include an adorned mortarboard in their ceremonies is one of the main challenges that the company has had to deal with, she said.

Kenward expressed that after going through an order with a tertiary student and finalising the process, the student informed her that the school did not approve of her wearing the cap.

“Even my goddaughter, she was the valedictorian and I did her cap and her mother put it on her head and the principal was like, 'No. You gotta take it off,' so it's not widely accepted by the institutions as yet,” she said.

Despite this, Kenward and her business partner have not been deterred.

“I am going to change that, myself and Tatee ... . We are not going to stop until every graduation cap is covered with a memory,” she declared.

Kenward stated that she expects the business to continue to flourish as she will also be accepting customisation orders from international students, especially Jamaican students who are graduating from schools overseas.

She stated that in some cases, customers have had to put in their requests from as early as a year in advance to ensure that their toppers are made and received on time as they try to beat the rush period for the November graduation season.

Persons interested in making orders can contact Petrova Kenward via Instagram @petty_pieces or @kraftykultureja.

asha.wilks@gleanerjm.com