Claire Catherine Stone (now Claire Landon) was born December 29, 1978, the oldest child of Richard and Elizabeth Stone. She was followed in March of 1984 by her sister Cordelia, affectionately referred to as Cordey. The Stones were a comfortable family- Daddy worked for the village of Arlington Heights, Momma took care of the family. Life wasn't perfect, but that begs the question if life- or anything for that matter- is ever perfect, but it was pretty close – family dinners and game nights, bedtime stories and the whole nine. Everything was wonderful until their father passed away. No one was prepared for it; the least of all Elizabeth Stone. Love died within their mother that day- but it blossomed inside of Claire. Losing her father made her realize how precious life was, and how important it was to share that love. Losing their father pushed Cordey and Claire closer, and that close bond between sisters is one that has lasted well into adulthood.

When their mother remarried, things got easier for the Stone family. While the girls were no longer latch key kids, their mother still wasn’t happy- she knew she needed to do something to make life better for her girls, and marriage was her way of doing that. Their stepfather wasn’t a horrible man, he didn’t do horrible things – he was just mostly indifferent to the girls… which in some ways were more hurtful. He wasn’t their father, and he made that abundantly clear.

In high school, Claire did what she was supposed to. Both Stone girls were cheerleaders, and Claire sang in the choir, wrote for the newspaper and was on the yearbook staff. She worked hard to prove herself academically, getting a partial scholarship to Roosevelt Univeristy to work on her BSBA in Marketing. Living in the heart of the city was an amazing experience for Claire. And it’s where she met the love of her life – Daniel Landon.

Claire and Dan met when they were living in the University Center – affectionately referred to as the Superdorm. They lived on the same floor, and kept a similar schedule, so they saw one another often. After “not-dating” most of their Senior years, Dan and Claire made it official after graduation. They got engaged quickly, and married in Fall 2002. Dan was offered a job in the suburbs, so they moved out of the city and back to Claire’s hometown.

But love comes in many forms. College isn't cheap, so Claire had to find a job. While she was wandering in the neighborhood, she came across a sign in the City Blooms window; it was the start of a beautiful relationship. While working at City Blooms, she realized how much she really enjoyed working with flowers. There was something in the simple act of helping others express their emotions that spoke to her.

But that's when things fell apart. Daniel was killed in a car accident, an older woman got on the high way going the wrong way and never saw him coming. He was buried in the same suit he was married in, and for the longest time, Claire wasn't the same. Everything she loved, everything she lived for, all of it was gone. She had to get out of Illinois- away from everything that reminded her so very much of what she'd lost.

It was on Cordy's advice that she ended up in Vancouver. She wanted somewhere that wasn't like Chicago, but was still a "real" city. Somewhere she could bloom, and learn... and there was no better place for that than Vancouver. She moved there in the fall of 2010, a year after Daniel's passing. She took a few retail jobs when she arrived working at a Tim Hortons and in the floral department of a local grocery store. Shortly there after, along with her best friend _____, Claire opened a small floral shop: BLOOM! A floral boutique, two years ago. _______ and Claire have been close for just about forever, so them working together brings more of the things she loves into harmony. The shop is located in downtown Vancouver, not far from the Roots flagship store.

Having a new lease on life makes her feel like everything has come full circle for her.