The team at Mums Flowers in Whitefish, Montana, created a balloon arch outside her shop to help lift the community’s spirit.
In late April, weeks into quarantine, when the world at large wrestled with feelings of angst and fatigue, Cara Lard had an idea to bring some happiness to her hometown, while simultaneously flaunting her creativity and artistry, and highlighting her identity as a proud businesswoman who appreciates her community.
Inspired by Luft Balloon, whose Instagram account has recently featured bright, elaborate balloon arches, Lard, the owner of Mums Flowers in Whitefish, Montana, decided to construct her own — an enormous rainbow — in front of her shop’s window. “To me, rainbows have always been a symbolism of hope and the promise of sunshine after a storm,” she said. She dubbed the project, “Rainbows of Hope,” shared a picture of the finished product on social media and invited the public to check it out.
Over the course of a week, scores of people visited the heartwarming display, where they took selfies, family and graduation portraits, and other whimsical photos, with many striking a “jump for joy” pose. Mums Flowers was tagged dozens and dozens of times in Instagram stories and posts, and exposure flourished on Facebook as well, where Lard’s photo received 213 likes, 24 shares and 33 positive comments, such as “This totally brightened my day,” “You gave so many smiles during a weird time,” and “What a wonderful statement of beauty!”
Read more about the display and see additional photos in the June issue of Floral Management.
Katie Hendrick Vincent is the senior contributing writer and editor for the Society of American Florists.
