What started as sharing flowers with friends and neighbors has blossomed into a meaningful business rooted in friendship, creativity, and care. Persimmon Ridge residents Susie Kaufman and Connie Colbert are the women behind Mon Ami, a local flower business that has become known for its beautiful blooms and heartfelt purpose.

Susie, who has lived in Persimmon Ridge for 25 years, first began growing dahlias in 2022. A lifelong educator who served as a teacher, coach, program coordinator, and principal for Shelby County Schools after teaching in Cleveland for a decade, Susie quickly became fascinated by the process of learning how to grow flowers. “Dahlias have been an education,” she shared. “It feels like we are figuring something out every day.”

Connie, who retired from GE in 2022 after more than 20 years, had already spent decades growing flowers and sharing bouquets with coworkers for birthdays and anniversaries. Together, the two friends combined their talents and launched Mon Ami, growing flowers in their own yards while jokingly negotiating garden space with their husbands, who happen to golf together.

“Connie is the flower doctor,” Susie laughed. “She can bring flowers back to life.” Connie describes dahlias as “divas”—beautiful but sensitive—while zinnias are “the dependable friends” of the flower world.

Their partnership goes beyond business. With grown children living out of town, both women say caring for flowers fills a nurturing role in their lives. “The flowers respond to care,” Susie said. “It’s a basic need to continue being a caregiver.”

Today, Mon Ami supplies bouquets to local customers, including weekly arrangements for Wild Flower Salon, participates in the Norton Commons Farmers Market, and recently created floral stems and bouquets for Collins High School’s homecoming festivities.

Despite their growth, they still regularly give flowers away. In fact, their future vision includes encouraging customers to “buy a bouquet and give away a posy.”

For beginner gardeners, they recommend starting simple: zinnias, cosmos, and sunflowers. “They’re forgiving,” Connie said. “They want to grow.”