Front Range Mother's Day pop-ups feature bouquet-building, artisan products, plant-based chocolate and more

May 6—Three Front Range-based businesses are teaming up to deliver a one-of-a-kind open-air market on Saturday.

Designed as a pre-Mother's Day celebration and a place to pick up memorable and unique gifts, Moksha Chocolate's pop-up will feature organic blooms from Petals Boulder, an array of skincare from Colorado Aromatics and plenty of single-origin, plant-based chocolate made from ethically sourced Peruvian cacao.

"I chose Petals and Colorado Aromatics not just because they are high-quality, local and female-owned small businesses, but also because they are involved in the actual planting and growing of their supplies and ingredients," said Jennifer Caines, who co-founded Moksha Chocolate with her husband Michael Caines. "Jennifer Nicolo, of Petals, has a greenhouse in which she grows her flowers and plants and Dr. Cindy Jones, of Colorado Aromatics, makes her skincare products with lavender, cucumber and mint that she grows on her farm in Longmont. Moksha Chocolate is farm-to-bar chocolate, so we have a lot in common. We have similar values and take things from the soil all the way to a finished product."

Saturday's free event will be held in the parking lot of Moksha's factory located at 2746 47th St. in Boulder, from 10 a.m.-1p.m.

Along with nuanced bars, attendees can purchase chocolate-dipped strawberries and slices of mango. New this year is Moksha's Belizean blood orange bar that pairs citrus flavor with a distinct look.

"We have brought back our beautifully boxed tasting flights in two varieties," Caines said. "One that is dark chocolate to white and one that is more white-chocolate based that includes the raspberry white and matcha white. White chocolate is really getting popular due to its healthy cacao butter content and ours is entirely plant-based and ultra fresh."

Flowers have always been a staple of Mother's Day. At this event, buyers will have the opportunity to choose from a selection of varieties grown organically right in Boulder.

"I'm most looking forward to seeing what people create," said Jennifer Nicolo, owner and lead designer of Petals Boulder, a company she founded in 2019. "With our flower cart operating as a 'Build Your Own Bouquet Bar' people can design bouquets that match their personalities and tastes and I'm sure I will be wowed by the combinations they come up with."

The variety of flowers, offered by this local grower, is sure to appeal to a number of styles.

"Ranunculus are very popular right now, but my personal new favorite is protea — the native flower of South Africa," Nicolo said. "These beauties are large, in charge, and an unforgettable pink. They also last two full weeks — if not more — in the vase."

Nicolo grows her flowers anywhere she can find open dirt, whether that be the yards of friends and neighbors or within the tiny greenhouse, seed starting room and arboretum she constructed at her mid-century home in South Boulder.

"I'm actually a historian by training, but when my kids were very young I found myself stuck out in the yard all the time keeping an eye on them and I got bored," Nicolo said. "I started gardening as something to keep busy with the kids and since my whole family was hands-on in the process, it was very important to me that everything was organic and chemical-free. Pretty soon we were growing more flowers than I could give away and Petals Boulder was born."

Pre-made bouquets will also be available for those who simply want to leave the arranging to the experts.

"We will be on hand to help people pick their favorite colors and combinations and get them hydrated, wrapped up and ready to take home," Nicolo said. "We will also have a selection of locally grown herb garden boxes, cactuses and succulents to choose from for the house plant lovers."

Petals Boulder specializes in dahlias that Nicolo starts indoors in February and plants outdoors in June. By August, her yard is teeming with the blooms that are said to symbolize elegance, inner strength, change, creativity and dignity.

"While we do grow some exotic flowers and force some winter blooms ourselves, we do also source from other growers and markets, especially in the winter," Nicolo said. "Our first choice is always local growers, but for some things we do need to have flowers shipped in."

Like Petals Boulder, the team at Colorado Aromatics uses rich Front Range soil to cultivate ingredients that go into crafting next-level products that surpass typical drugstore finds.

"Colorado Aromatics is a truly farm-to-skin company," said Fern Crossway, social media manager of Colorado Aromatics, who also has a degree in conservation biology. "All of our products are made in small batches in our Longmont shop and every product we make uses herbs grown on our Certified Naturally Grown Longmont farm."

From high-quality essential oils to balms designed to protect from the region's climate conditions, items of Colorado Aromatics are rooted in nature.

"Our products are formulated in-house by Dr. Cindy Jones — our CEO, biochemist, farmer, herbalist and real-life superwoman," Crossway said. "From the seeds we plant to the final sale, every part of our process is done by us."

Saturday's bounty will include a myriad of self-care creations.

"We'll be bringing our best-sellers, plus some great gifts for all the Colorado mamas we're celebrating this Mother's Day," Crossway said. "Expect to find nourishing face cream and body lotion, deliciously scented bath and shower products, massage oils and some of our favorite gift sets."

Throughout the summer, Moksha Chocolate is hoping to continue to collaborate with more area businesses outdoors.

"As a woman-owned, farm-to-skin brand, we're thrilled to be partnering with two other woman-owned businesses that care deeply about creating local, sustainable products," Crossway said. "We share common values with both Moksha and Petals and we think the things that unite us make us a power trio. We are so grateful to have such an amazing community here in the Front Range and we always welcome growth and support within that community."

Saturday's festivities will also include a DJ providing a diverse soundtrack.

"It is the perfect last-minute opportunity to get fresh gift items direct from the makers," Caines said. "You can taste the chocolate and peek at the factory from our open-air setup."

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Other events to celebrate and shop for the mothers in your life:

Boulder

Shine's Mother's Day Specials: The eatery has put together a Magical Mom Care Package, filled with an abundance of Shine's canned sparkly potions, B12 and CBD shots, local honey, merch and more. Mother's Day specials are available for dine-in, takeout or delivery; 4-8:30 p.m.; Shine Community, 2480 Canyon Blvd., Unit M1; shinecommunity.com.

Mother's Day Brunch: Celebrate the day with a multi-course brunch featuring crepes with lemon curd and take a cooking class so you can recreate the dishes at home; 10 a.m. Sunday; Food Lab Boulder, 1825 Pearl St.; $85; foodlabboulder.com.

Longmont

Sugar Pine's Anniversary: Grab a grilled burger or bratwurst with mom and pick up some hand-made jewelry by AO Arts & KDK Designs that will be doing a pop-up event on-site. Vendors Table Mountain Farm, StoryMaker Coffee and Sweet Cow will also be in attendance offering treats; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday; Sugar Pine Grocery, 1920 S. Coffman St.; sugarpinecatering.com.

Mother's Day Make & Take: Join artists from the Board & Brush studio for an afternoon of creativity, while sipping Wibby's lagers. The studio provides all materials and instructs patrons step by step to create a beautiful piece for your home or for a gift. Choose from a variety of paint colors in the workshop. French crepes will be available for purchase; noon-3 p.m. Sunday; Wibby Brewing, 209 Emery St.; $15; wibbybrewing.com.

Free Beer For Mom: Left Hand will buy all moms their first beer on Sunday. Also, a 20%-off sale on all merch for ladies is happening through May 9; 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; Left Hand Brewing Company, 1265 Boston Ave.; lefthandbrewing.com.

A Mother's Day Concert: Ernest Washington will be performing live in celebration of all the mothers and the ones they love; 6-8 p.m. Sunday; The Speakeasy, 301 Main St.; $25-$50; thespeakeasy.buzz.

Loveland

Mother's Day Pop-Up Shop: Peruse retail booths, sip refreshing mimosas and participate in a photo session with a summery backdrop; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; The Gressiwick, 426 N. Lincoln Ave.; gressiwick.com.

Mother's Day at The Brewery: Enjoy chef-crafted entrees with beer pairings. Gift cards, online Mother's Day meal packages and beer orders are also available; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday; Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery, 6025 Sky Pond Drive; rockbottom.com/locations/loveland.

Mother's Day Bouquet Sale: Pick up some locally grown farm-fresh flowers from Blooming Betties at Loveland Aleworks this weekend; 4-6 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 118 W 4th St.; bloomingbetties.com.