Husband-wife duo Jessica Serna and Ismail Mpiana need their affect to increase past social media to actuality. At Casa Kumwesu, their Waco, Texas-based vacation home that’s out there for hire, the couple needs to share their love for the Lone Star State—particularly their love of Texas ice cream—with guests from varied components of the world.
Vacationers visiting Waco can ebook a keep at their whimsical ice cream-themed Airbnb, which accommodates eight friends, options vibrant ice cream-inspired decor at each flip and is bedecked with cozy and colourful furnishings all through. The house is good for adults wanting an escape and for fogeys who need to give their youngsters a “candy retreat.”
Casa Kumwesu opened April 2023 on 5 acres of property in Waco. The retreat’s title comes from phrases for “residence” and “group,” combining Serna’s Latina tradition and Mpiana’s Zambian tradition.
“We all the time wished a home to start out with,” Serna says. “We journey a lot that once we had an condominium, we had been simply paying to hire out a spot we had been by no means at. We knew we all the time wished a spot that was ours, however that we could rent out once we weren’t on the town.”
My Curly Adventures creator, Jessica Serna, and her husband be part of forces
Earlier than Serna and her husband started influencing full-time by way of their respective Instagram handles, My Curly Adventures and My Culinary Adventures, Jessica labored a nine-to-five job however maintained a burning need to journey the world. Since work stored her tied down, she and Mpiana opted to take brief weekend journeys.
Although most of their posts had been natural, with out the expectation of reaching a big viewers, the couple’s weekend journeys turned a part of their model.
“We had been courting, and we’d simply take these enjoyable weekend journeys,” Serna says. “We simply seemed round, and we had been like, ‘Oh, there’s this place to go sand browsing in Monahans,’ or ‘Let’s make slightly weekend getaway out in Fredericksburg or these English gardens… .’ I had a images background, so I used to be posting on social media simply because that’s what folks do. After which my buddies began asking about all these locations we had been visiting, and on the time, there wasn’t actually a social media presence for issues to do in Texas, so folks had been simply coming to us for what we had been sharing.”
In the present day, the couple has greater than 300,000 followers mixed on Instagram, the place they share reels and photographs of enjoyable locations to journey and dine close to the Dallas-Fort Value space.
Casa Kumwesu celebrates native taste as the realm’s first ice cream-themed Airbnb
Serna and Mpiana are conscious that Waco is synonymous with beloved Texans Chip and Joanna Gaines and Magnolia Market—an enormous draw for vacationers that has probably introduced a great portion of tourists to Casa Kumwesu. The 2 have equally been intentional about incorporating Texan tradition and artwork inside the home, with a lot of the furnishings designed by native artists.
The home itself is minutes away from a river, the place guests can discover ways to kayak. Company may also decide to go to an indoor surf park, Cameron Park Zoo and several other domestically owned companies. Although there are not any ice cream machines inside the home, friends typically buy ice cream from native companies to depart within the freezer for the following vacationers.
Casa Kumwesu isn’t only a backdrop—it’s a dream come true
Serna and Mpiana need Casa Kumwesu to be greater than only a photograph op.
“I feel folks consider it rather a lot as an Instagram home, and sure, it’s nice for photos,” Serna says. “However youngsters find it irresistible. We hear from friends on a regular basis that their youngsters need to transfer there. They’re speaking about it for months to come back. It’s a colourful wonderland. I feel as adults, we consider it as this Instagram factor. However as youngsters, they’re simply residing their dream.”
The important thing to longevity is a capability to evolve and adapt
Having been within the influencer realm for nearly seven years, the couple have seen social platforms evolve. From attention-grabbing photograph posts to charming reels, they’ve maintained their footprint within the digital world and say the important thing to longevity is to have the ability to transfer in tandem with every platform.
“At any level, one thing that labored yesterday could not work right now,” Mpiana says. “There’s a problem in that, however we’re open to adapting. When movies got here on board, we pivoted, and that’s now grow to be a part of what we do. You simply should be prepared to adapt.”
Pictures by Jessica Serna.