Carrie Hayes has long held a passion for the floral industry, and upon discovering that Life in Bloom was available for purchase, she acted promptly, completing the purchase within one week.
Life in Bloom Floral and Gift Boutique, located at 301 Central Avenue, was founded by Karen Beeler, who initially operated the business from her home and successfully transformed it into a reputable downtown floral shop. Carrie stated, “What she accomplished is something tremendous. She has an amazing customer base. The amount of work that goes into that is not to be taken lightly. What she built, which I was able to purchase from her, is very meaningful to me and I feel like I want to make sure to honor her in how I run the business.”
Carrie was eager to move into Life in Bloom as Karen was ready to move on to other adventures. The changeover was originally going to take place in January; however, everything fell in place and Carrie took over on December 6th.
Carrie previously owned a floral shop in Eastern Oregon before she and her family moved to Great Falls two years ago. Since then, she has worked as the Marketing, Communications, and Events Coordinator for the Chamber but moved on when she became the caretaker for her father-in-law who is battling dementia. After learning Life in Bloom was up for sale, she jumped at the opportunity to return to the floral industry.
Carrie is working on several things to enhance the business while honoring the hard work that Karen put into growing it. Some of Carrie’s new offerings include weddings and funerals, and she plans to extensively expand the gift shop by adding a variety of new inventory.
“I have a cool partnership that we’re entering with the Rib and Chop house,” she explained. “I’m going to be their official florist. When people come to the Rib and Chop House for a special event like an anniversary or a birthday, they will be able to select a package for flowers, chocolates, balloons, or whatever from me at a discounted rate. I’ll also be doing the flowers for, Valentine’s Day for them as well.”
Carrie is passionate about community involvement and building relationships. With her background in the Chamber of Commerce, she believes that small businesses supporting each other are crucial for the success of the community.
Carrie’s family is also a big part of her business plans. They have five children who will be trained in the business. “Our son is working on Saturdays, and our 16-year-old daughter will be with me at the shop every day, learning the trade,” she explained. “Chloe, our 10-year-old, has been around me doing flowers her entire life and is quite talented. Our plan is to keep the business in our family forever and pass it on to the kids.”
The first two weeks at Life in Bloom were incredibly busy for Carrie and her family as they jumped into this adventure.
One of the first things Carrie has added to the store is handmade chocolates from a family-owned business in Vermont. They pack these chocolates in a four-pack with gift wrapping which has become a huge hit. Carrie has plans to add several Made in Montana items to the gift shop.
Carrie extends an invitation to the community to attend her ribbon-cutting ceremony on January 15th at 4 PM, during which she will offer refreshments, discounts, and a celebration of this significant opportunity for herself and her family.
For more information on Life in Bloom please contact them at (406) 402-9966 and let them know you found them in The Great Falls Gazette.
Author: Karen Anderson
Karen is the Editor-in-Chief overseeing all news operations at Foxys Publishing Co. She also loves photography and spending time with her dogs.
