If you had told Jason and Mary several years ago that flowers would completely reshape their lives, they probably would not have believed you.
Mary spent more than a decade as an elementary educator, where she developed a love for creativity, thoughtful experiences and the small details that make people feel connected. Jason built his career in technology, entrepreneurship and business operations. Neither had experience in florals, luxury retail or global sourcing.
But after exiting a previous business in 2021, the Rochester couple found themselves searching for something different — something creative, meaningful and entirely new.
That curiosity led them to launch an unconventional floral vending concept across Metro Detroit. What initially felt like an innovative retail idea quickly became something much larger.
“We thought we were starting a vending machine company,” Jason says. “What we were really doing was entering the floral industry without realizing where it would eventually take us.”
As the business grew, Jason and Mary began traveling to better understand the floral world firsthand. Their journey eventually led them through Ecuador and Colombia, where they toured flower farms, met growers and discovered the global network behind the flowers people see every day.
“Flowers became the unexpected connection between creativity, exploration, relationships and entirely new opportunities.”
Those travels gave Jason and Mary a behind-the-scenes look at an industry most people rarely think about.
“What many people do not realize is that most flowers sold in the United States are grown in Ecuador and Colombia,” Jason explains. “Once you experience the process firsthand, you gain an entirely different appreciation for the work behind every stem.”
For Mary, visiting flower farms transformed the way she viewed flowers entirely. What once felt decorative suddenly became deeply personal after seeing generations of growers, endless greenhouse rows and the artistry involved in cultivating every arrangement.
Along the way, the couple also formed relationships that would unexpectedly shape the future of Penny + Clover.
One turning point happened during a flight home from Miami, when Jason found himself seated next to an executive from luxury fragrance brand Jo Malone London. During their conversation, she mentioned the challenge of creating consistent floral experiences across department stores nationwide.
Jason immediately recognized an opportunity.
Using the sourcing relationships and operational systems they had been building, Penny + Clover developed a floral activation model capable of supporting luxury retail experiences at scale.
What began as a small pilot quickly expanded into something far larger.
Today, Penny + Clover helps orchestrate floral activations and customer experiences inside hundreds of luxury retail stores nationwide for globally recognized fragrance and beauty brands.
Meanwhile, another connection introduced the couple to the preserved floral market through a distributor importing premium preserved bouquets from the Netherlands. That relationship eventually helped Penny + Clover expand into wholesale distribution, supplying preserved florals to boutiques, hotels, spas and retailers across the country.
Despite how different each side of the business may appear, Jason and Mary say both were built the same way: through curiosity, relationships and a willingness to explore unfamiliar territory together.
“What started as two people searching for a reset unexpectedly became a journey through flower farms, luxury retail and global relationships that completely reshaped both their business and the life they imagined for themselves.”
“Flowers became the unexpected connection between creativity, exploration, relationships and entirely new opportunities.”
“What started as two people searching for a reset unexpectedly became a journey through flower farms, luxury retail and global relationships that completely reshaped both their business and the life they imagined for themselves.”