Take a walk through downtown Annapolis and a friendly face stands on West Street next to a large stand of fresh-cut flowers.

Darim Traore, originally from West Africa, is best known for brightening people’s day with his smile and radiant bouquets.

If the sun is shining in Annapolis, there’s a good chance Traore is selling those flowers at his stand outside Reynolds Tavern with a huge smile on his face.

Traore has a powerful message about kindness and paying it forward.

As he greeted people walking through downtown Annapolis, he reminisced about how he ended up there.

After spending time in America in his 20s, Traore went to Canada, where he received his accounting degree. But here he is, selling flowers.

Traore sometimes helped run his brother’s flower stand in Washington, D.C., before preferring his own outdoor office.

“I didn’t know I was going to find myself here today selling flowers,” Traore said. “Life always reserves you a surprise. That was my surprise.”

Traore enjoys talking, meeting people and sharing his life stories.

He came to America for the first time in 1993 from Mali, West Africa.

“I thought I was going to go work in an office or whatever, and then finally I fell in love with doing this thing,” Traore said.

“They love me and I love all of them too, and they show me every day,” Traore said. “Even the time I lost my mom, that’s the time I realized the kind of love people have for me in this city.”

“He makes everyone in Annapolis smile, and we really appreciate it,” one customer said.

The biggest message Traore shares is that “kindness always pays.”

“If you are kind, people will love you and you’ll find kind people everywhere you go,” he said. “That’s something I experienced in Annapolis.”

Darim’s flower stand is open from 10 a.m. to sundown Tuesday through Sunday from February to November. He is located on Church Circle in downtown.