Meet Whit & Taylor

The story behind Humu's

From Chicago to a workshop in the Florida sun

Whit and Taylor started Humu's Island Treasures in the spring of 2025. Its existence is a direct reflection of the mindset they adopted when they moved their family from Chicago to Lakewood Ranch in July 2023: let's just go for it.

The inspiration arrived by accident. Whit has always had a creative side and a knack for working with his hands. One day, he spotted a wood dining table beside a dumpster at a home under construction. He swung around, picked it up, and started wondering what it could become.

Whit and Taylor love the tropics and have always had a passion for Polynesian art. Taylor suggested, you should carve a tiki, and that is exactly what Whit did. Neighbors encouraged them to sell the carvings, so they found a few more old tables, made five or six pieces, and watched every one sell within a day of being posted.

About nine months later, they held their first art show right in Lakewood Ranch. Once again, they just went for it.

The business takes both of them. Together, they make the artwork, care for their two children, and run Humu's while both working full time. The work is a family story in wood, color, and island spirit.