Susie Penwell of Penny and Lulu Passes Away: Heartbreak in Medford Floral Community
The story behind Penny and Lulu is rooted in personal chemistry, hard work, and mutual creative respect. Independent retail floristry carries demanding physical challenges: pre-dawn runs to regional wholesale markets, frozen water buckets in December, and seventy-hour workweeks ahead of Valentine's Day. Building a self-sustaining studio in Medford required business discipline alongside raw design talent.
Penwell co-built the business by balancing creative risk-taking with consistent client care. She knew her customers by name. She kept meticulous notes on family preferences, remembering which households favored fragrant gardenias and which required hypoallergenic centerpieces. That level of care insulated the shop against the wave of e-commerce aggregators that undercut small-town florists throughout the 2010s.
Local competitors respected Penwell rather than treating her as a threat. In the tight-knit Rogue Valley creative sector, florists frequently share stock when shipping delays strike or lend buckets when wedding orders swell unexpectedly. Penwell was often the first person to offer extra stems or loan equipment to emerging designers looking to establish their own studios.
