Store owner dresses to help brighten people’s day

Christell Benson owns Chrysalis Flowers and Unique Gifts, a bright and cheery gift shop inside the Great Falls Clinic Hospital.

“Most people come here because they have to, not because they want to. I’ve been in and out of the hospital before and it is not fun. It can put you in a deep hole and keep you there,” Benson said. “I feel my destiny here is to encourage them. Patients pass through the store, see the bright colors and say it’s their happy place.”

Every morning, Benson picks out her outfits not based on how she feels, but instead on how she wants to feel. If she isn’t feeling cheery, she will put on a special hat or scarf that lifts her mood.

“When I wear what I wear, I’m expressing who I am to myself as well as to others,” Benson said. “I absolutely love a sun dress. When I put a sun dress on and come to work, I feel professional yet very ladylike and elegant.”

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Benson is wearing an orange and white tie-dye maxi-dress with a white cotton cardigan sweater. Her straw hat she calls her Fancy Dancy Sun Hat. For accessories she has on a white beaded necklace with matching earrings and a set of bangle bracelets.

“When I wear hats I get so many compliments. This hat makes me feel young and carefree,” Benson said. “I’d love to start a Mad-Hatters club. I think the hat is something that needs to come back.”

To suggest someone for Why I Wear, contact Jessica Gray at jessicagraymt@gmail.com.