Southside Blooms workers decorate a staircase at the Field Museum on Sunday for a Democratic National Convention event. (Provided photos)

Alliara Nash has just one hope for her week providing floral decorations for Democratic National Convention events in Chicago.

“I hope to get pictures with people. Kamala (Harris) would be great. I really like her,” said Nash, a high school senior who works for the nonprofit Southside Blooms. “But I’d take photos with anybody of note or just seeing them. I would take any of that.”

Nash, who has been at Southside Blooms since January, said she is excited to be part of the DNC festivities.

“I know how big this is for Chicago to have the Democratic National Convention here. I am a little nervous,” Nash said, “but I am happy to be a part of it.”

Nash and other young Chicago florists have been put in the spotlight this week as their work has been part of DNC events. 

Hannah Bonham Blackwell, co-founder of the nonprofit Southside Blooms, has spent some of her time letting her teenage and young adult floral artists recognize the stage on which they find themselves. 

“Everyone is really stoked,” Blackwell said of the business providing floral arrangements at four DNC

Southside Blooms workers decorate a staircase at the Field Museum for a reception led by the chairwoman of the Democratic National Convention.

events this week. “I’ve tried to help them understand how big this event is, that it only happens every four years, that it is in our city this year, and that we were selected from the hundreds of florists in the city. 

“They get to showcase their designs in front of high-profile people. The stuff they are creating is being seen by a higher level of society. It is exciting.” 

Nash said she is enjoying her time with the South Side floral business.

“I do like that it is something different,” she said. “Little things can make a big impact. People are so happy when they get our bouquets, and I am like, ‘Hey, I made that.’”

Southside Blooms is the retail arm of Chicago Eco House, a nonprofit organization focused on urban agriculture to spur bottom-up economic development in the inner city. 

Alliara Nash decorates a Field Museum bannister.

Hannah Blackwell and her husband, Quilen, created Chicago Eco House in 2014 as an extension of their mission work. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and serving as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand, Quilen enrolled in ministry school and was performing community service by tutoring at a high school in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood. 

The Blackwells bought a house in Englewood and saw blight and vacant buildings and knew they had to do something to help. 

“My mission work was in sustainability,” Quilen said. “I knew I had a role to play in bringing a positive impact to the area.” 

Trying to decide on a business idea for the area, the Blackwells came up with flowers. 

“Why can’t flowers be the thing for the inner city?” Quilen thought. 

The couple opened Southside Blooms in 2020. 

Being on several preferred vendor lists, DNC officials found out that Southside Blooms existed and

Naseah King makes a creation at the Southside Blooms fulfillment center.

reached out to the firm. 

“Last year, a scouting team had us do the centerpieces for a catering dinner,” Hannah Blackwell said. “They liked what we created so they asked us to do some larger events.” 

Hannah said the DNC is the floral company’s most notable and biggest paycheck to date. 

“The fact that our kids are creating things for a higher level of government, for people who fly all over the country, it is a top moment for us,” Hannah said. 

She said most of the inner-city florists on staff went into the DNC project a little nervous, but excited for the extra hours the week before the start of school for many of them. 

“They’ll be starting the school year with a good size check,” Hannah laughed. 

The convention work could increase Southside Blooms’ presence in the Chicago area and help the business put a dent in the 80-person wait list it has for employment. 

“Being visible at the DNC events may mean more business, more youths hired and more (flower) farms built,” Hannah said. 

Eco House has turned vacant lots into flower farms in Chicago — in the Englewood, Woodlawn, West Garfield Park and Washington Park neighborhoods — Gary and Detroit. 

The Blackwells hope to open a second floral fulfillment center later this year or early next year on the city’s West Side. 

Along with getting their florists’ work in front of high-profile individuals, the DNC jobs are also a tryout of sorts for the Blackwells. 

They have been looking to expand into other inner cities and this could be the springboard to make that happen, Hannah noted. 

“I think this is huge,” she added. “It gives us a look at what it would look like if we expanded to other cities to address inner-city poverty. It can showcase what we can do with inner-city youths.” 

Hannah noted that Southside Blooms has gotten requests from cities large and small to consider setting up similar floral fulfillment businesses in their community. 

“Doing work for governors and congressional reps shows what we can do and what we can be used for,” she added. “It is a glance at what we are and what we mean for youths of the inner city.” 

Hannah is also happy for young people from her business to rub elbows with the political elite. 

Armani Hopkins and Tashawn Hunt put together creations.

“They can see past presidents, governors, different members of government who will be there, the people they see on the news making laws for our country,” Hannah said. “There are usually so many layers between us and decision-makers. It is a way to be in front of individuals when they normally don’t have that kind of audience.” 

She noted that the 20-30 young people employed as part of the Southside Blooms team learn an array of skills. 

“They learn workforce development skills. They learn how to show up on time,” Hannah said. “They learn to be professional when off site, like a high-end establishment such as the Ritz-Carlton. They go to large, impressive venues. They learn how to be a real professional. 

“We are changing the narrative for inner-city youths and helping people see youths from the inner-city community in a different light.” 

Nash, a senior at Art in Motion Creative Arts School, opened by musical artist Common in 2019, said she sees herself doing floral arranging for awhile.

“I see myself doing this quite a long time. I hope at least as a hobby,” she said.

Nash also sees herself going into the medical field, possibly as an ultrasound technician.

The 17-year-old Nash has lived across the street from the Blackwells for years and her brother had been working for Southside Blooms already.

“My mom came home with a flyer one day and said, ‘You know they’re hiring?’” Nash said. “I’m like ‘They live across the street. They already know me.’”

She said working for Hannah Blackwell has been a fun and rewarding experience.

“With them being neighbors, I’m always walking across the street and I’m like ‘Hey, girl’ to Hannah. It’s working for neighbors. It’s working for friends.”

Doing the DNC work still seems a little surreal for Hannah Blackwell. 

Dionta White pulls amaranth from a Southside Blooms flower farm.

“In my wildest dreams, I could not picture this day. We are a faith-based project,” Hannah said. “When you say ‘yes’ to God, you never know what adventure you are going to go on. It makes you want to keep pushing and saying, ‘Who else can we help?’” 

Despite a project’s scope, Hannah said the end goal is never lost on her and her husband. 

“No matter how prominent the job, it all goes back to being able to update the youths’ lives in a greater way,” she said. 

For Southside Blooms creations, go to southsideblooms.com or southsideblooms on Instagram. 

kbeese@chronicleillinois.com