Gibbons fuelled by petal power

Gibbons Company was able to stop people in their tracks with their window displays this past weekend.

The company’s annual Gibbons in Bloom Show saw windows and doors in the main store and its branches — Nine West, Twenty 5 Reid and The Home Store — also decorated.

Gibbons Company partnered with Petals, Demco Florist, Just Roses, Designer Flowers, Nicky Gurret, Bermuda Plant Nursery, Sousa’s, The Garden Club of Bermuda, The Ikebana Club and Brighton Nursery to showcase Bermuda’s flora.

Paula Clarke, CEO of Gibbons Company, said: “we had a lot of people taking photographs” of the displays.

She said the company decided to do this initiative three years ago.

“I had been thinking about it for quite a while and I was discussing it with Nicky Gurret.”

Ms Clarke wondered if there would be interest from the florists.

She thought it would be a great idea so we started to formulate a plan for it so we came up with Gibbons in Bloom.

Ms Clarke said plant nurseries and florists were approached to gauge their interest.

“We offered them an amount of money towards creating the windows. Plus we would advertise and give them publicity for it and we’ve been building on it ever since.”

Ms Clarke declined to pick her favourite but said “A tremendous effort was made by all. The lovely thing about it is each year it’s different.

“We insist on fresh foliage and flowers. It’s really up to the creative artists within the different companies with a theme for their windows.

“We see this growing each year. We are hoping to continue this and have it as one of our annual events.”

She said it helps create an exciting environment for Gibbons Company customers to shop in.

“From the florists point of view they get great exposure for the work that they do. As the chairman of the retail division of the Chamber of Commerce, I always want to showcase what fantastic value and what a wide breath of services that we do provide here in Bermuda.”