Paula Merritt / The Meridian StarAlbree Florey, owner of World of Flowers and Gifts, hangs one of her ribbons in front of her business. She has been providing them as a symbol of unity and support for the healthcare community. 

This time of year is typically the busy season for Albree Florey’s flower shop in Meridian. 

With Valentine’s Day behind them and Mother’s Day ahead, she and her six employees at World of Flowers and Gifts on 24th Avenue would have their hands full, gathering hundreds of sweetly fragrant Easter lilies for churches, completing arrangements for homes and businesses or preparing to make prom corsages. 

Faced with restrictions due to COVID-19, Florey’s business will lose out on nearly all of that. 

“We’ve had rehearsal dinners canceled, weddings canceled. We’ve had several that have been rescheduled, so we’re just doing what everybody else is doing,” she said. 

The shop continues to provide arrangements for funerals, considered an essential part of the business. 

Florey misses the reaction she gets when she brings a bouquet for someone’s birthday or anniversary. 

“Their eyes light up and that human connection is so important and we’re missing that right now, I think, on many levels.”

She got an idea online to start spreading red ribbons around town as a show of unity for the local community and the country, and support for healthcare workers. 

Florey provided ribbons to Anderson Regional Medical Center and Rush Health Systems and then decided to leave some on the fence outside her shop, free for the taking.

“I just made a bunch and put them out in front of the store and posted, ‘If you’re out in essential travel, we’ll be putting them out every Sunday in the month of April.’”

The 20 ribbons were gone within an hour. 

“It’s a hard time, but we are surrounded by a healthcare industry,” Florey said. “It’s in our own back yard and it’s really coming close to home. So many people are related to someone who works there, so we just wanted to just try to boost morale and let them know that the community’s behind them.”

Florey, who began cutting back hours and store traffic early on in the pandemic, has tried to find other ways to bring people together.

She’s encouraged families to cut and arrange flowers from their yards or create their own from art supplies, and share it online.

The placement of a red ribbon on a mailbox or front door is just one more way to close the distance.

“I think it’s just an easy way to just kind of bring a little bit of community together, even though we can’t really be together.”

The Meridian Star is looking for acts of kindness or compassion in our community to ease the stress caused by the coronavirus. If you see something, let us know by emailing editor@themeridianstar.com.