Meet Ryan Bishop & Andrew Leahan | Entrepreneurs, Business Owners

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ryan Bishop & Andrew Leahan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ryan & Andrew, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
Andrew has always wanted to have a shop. Once we settled on the idea of a plant shop, the name of the shop was important. We wanted to have something that blended with who we were and where we opened our shop. The “Clover” aspect of the name was easy as Andrew is very proud of his Irish ancestry. Technically, we should be referring to him as Lord Andrew thanks to his land in Ireland. Ryan refuses, but perhaps somebody else will finally use the title! Anyway, we felt “The Clover” was not sufficient for our shop name and like any other couple trying to decide on baby names, a list was created and “The NoCo Clover” was born. This tied in perfectly with Andrew’s vision of the boutique side of the houseplant shop and further sparked the idea of partnering with local artists all across Northern Colorado to help boost their name and products. Today, our shop is made up almost entirely of locally made goods & items (and plants) from artists, artisans and growers across NoCo (Northern Colorado).
We’re also excited to announce that in addition to our already existing local Plant & Sip events, we’ll be partnering with a few more local businesses on some exciting plant themed events. Our followers and community members can keep an eye out for more news on this coming soon!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Please tell us more about your art. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about:

We have always had the ideology of supporting local artists. When we go shopping throughout any town or city, we love to frequent craft fairs, farmer markets and local shops. Most artists are lucky to support themselves on their art alone and almost all seem to take on a second job. We find that incredibly sad when we travel considering many travel destinations are considered “destinations” mainly due to those “creative” minds! But this filters down further, to each city and township, to local main streets, shops and markets. We firmly believe local talent is what makes up a community’s identity and what makes them unique. We wanted to be able to showcase our very own local artists and artisans within our shop. We are proud to say we currently have artists from Greeley, Westminster, Broomfield, Fort Collins, Loveland, LaPorte and of course our hometown, Wellington. We are always looking for more as things develop, but that ideology will never change in supporting the artists who create different, unique experiences for all. The NoCo Clover currently offers items from 17 local vendors! Each of their backgrounds, stories or bios can be found on display when you come by to visit us!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Northern Colorado is known for its scenery and its breweries. So naturally, any visitor of ours is bound to get emersed in some type of experience in this realm. Andrew restored a small fishing boat several years ago and now we both thoroughly enjoy taking it out every opportunity we get and spending time on the water. When we’re not fishing, Andrew loves to spend his time at the outdoor shooting range. We also enjoy scenic drives through Rocky Mountain National Park, or visits to Horsetooth Reservoir or the Poudre River. We’ve been known to drag a guest or two down the Poudre on a white water rapids tour!
To wrap up the day we are lucky enough to have some of the best local breweries and hang outs right at home in Wellington, CO. We could bring them over to Deppen Brewing and enjoy Ryan’s favorite sour. There’s also Andrews favorite sour from Soul Squared Brewing. Another option, if it’s a Thursday night, is the back patio of The Manor which is always lit up and has live music going with a full bar and food options!
Both of us have enjoyed more than one evening at these venues relaxing and listening to interesting stories by an eclectic mix of locals. Part of what makes Wellington and northern Colorado so unique and interesting in general is how independent and unique each person you meet will be. But no matter how different you’ll find they are, they’re much more welcoming and warm than you’ll find elsewhere.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We must extend a heartfelt thank you to the friends, family members and artists that have been so incredibly supportive and patient throughout this process for us. Without you all there would have been days we couldn’t have opened, events we couldn’t have participated in, and products we’d be unable to carry. For all of that and more, you have our utmost appreciation.

Website: https://www.thenococlover.com/

Instagram: https://noco.clover

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NoCoClover/