OUT EAST END
How a Gay Florist Found Happiness
Mark Masone came out later in life and never looked back
BY ANGELA LAGRECA
Mother’s Day is around
the corner and we
know what that
means: It’s fl ower
time.
But if you’re looking for carnations
or mums, don’t call Mark
Masone, an out gay Southamptonbased
fl orist, event stylist, and
owner of Designs by Mark Masone.
“I’m not your run-of-the-mill fl orist,”
said Masone, who has been
creating fl oral arrangements for
single delivery and styling for special
occasions for more than 30
years. His celebrity clientele includes
Jennifer Lopez, Tory Burch,
Debra Messing, Jane Fonda, Jill
Zarin, and Teresa Giudice.
“I don’t use carnations or daisies
unless someone asks for them
— I don’t even buy them,” he said.
“Carnation is known as a cheap
fl ower, seen at funerals, like mums.
What’s funny is, they last forever
as opposed to other fl owers.”
Roses. Hydrangeas. Sunfl owers.
Peonies. Ranunculus. Hyacinths.
These are the fl owers that are most
in demand, according to Masone.
Masone prides himself on being
hands-on and expeditious in his
effort to provide colorful arrangements
for his customers. He said
he “oversees everything” while he
caters to clients from Westhampton
to Montauk as well as in New York
City, the west coast, and London.
“I think what my clients love is
that I am the one who answers
your phone call, I’m the one making
your arrangement, and possibly
the one delivering your arrangement,”
Malone said.
“My father, who ran a construction
business for 60 years, taught me it’s
never too late or too early to answer
the phone,” he said. “I’ve built relationships
in the last 12 months just
from COVID because customers like
that feeling of connecting and dealing
with me directly.”
Masone got acclimated to the
fl ower business at age 14 when he
landed an after-school job sweeping
fl oors at a local fl ower shop in
Oceanside, near Nassau County’s
Mark Masone, 45, is a fl orist, event stylist, and owner of Designs by Mark Masone
Island Park, where he grew up. By
age 16, he found himself managing
the store while the owners were
out on vacation — and that experience
laid the groundwork for his
own future career.
At age 18, he opened his fi rst
store in Oceanside, and for the
next 25 years he ran and developed
his business there. He would
commute back and forth to the
Hamptons, where his family had
a home, but everything changed
when Hurricane Sandy slammed
the region in 2012.
“After Hurricane Sandy, I decided
to stay out east full time,” he
recalled.
Masone moved to Southampton
with his then-wife and two children
— which was a pivotal decision
that would impact not only
his business, but his personal life.
Eight years ago, after 13 years of
marriage, Masone came out to his
then-wife. He was 38.
“I knew I was gay as a young
child, but for 20 years I had to
suppress it,” he explained. “I came
from a very strict, powerful Italian
family, and it wasn’t accepted. It
was something I had to suppress
for so long because of my family.”
He added, “It was bad, then it was
good, then bad, then it just went
to good. I made sure at a certain
point to tell my kids. At the time
my daughter was eight; my son was
four. I wanted them to hear it from
ANDREW WERNER
me, not from someone in town.”
Today Masone, 45, lives in the
same house with his ex-wife and
their kids. His ex-wife has a boyfriend
and at one point Masone
had a three-year relationship with
a man. His kids knew his partner.
“I like that everyone gets along,”
Masone said. “My kids obviously
are most important.”
The coming out process was not
easy for Masone, however, and he
faced adversity from both friends
and family members who found
it diffi cult to accept him as a gay
man. He went on to develop some
health issues, such as myocarditis
of the heart and ulcerative colitis,
throughout what he described as a
“major life change.”
To this day, he does not have a
close relationship with some of his
family members, but he has found
the community on the east end of
Long Island to be a more accepting
place. Had he not moved there,
he believes he would not have been
able to come out.
“I don’t think anyone should ever
live their life as a lie,” he said. “It’s
just sad that there are so many
people out there going through
what I went through. Unfortunately,
some straight people don’t understand
it, because they are not
in it, and they think it’s a choice.
And that’s something that bothers
me — because it’s not a choice.”
However, Masone acknowledges
that he doeshave a choice to be
happy. He is surrounding himself
with those who do love him and
appreciate him for who he is, regardless
of his sexual orientation.
“I have my own family and I
wouldn’t change anything right
now for the world,” he said. “I love
who I am, my friends love me for
who I am. I don’t need the negativity.
I’m here for who knows how
long, and I want to enjoy it. I want
to be around happy people.”
Since coming out, Masone has
supported local LGBTQ causes and
other charities, including the American
Heart Association, the South
Fork Natural History Museum and
Nature Center, and the Southampton
based Edie Windsor Center,
which offers wide-ranging care, including
HIV testing and support
services for people living with HIV/
AIDS and the LGBTQ community.
“I love living out here,” he says. “I
love the people, the connection, the
openness, the nature, the trees, the
beach. It’s that small-town community
and I can relate to that.”
In recent years, Masone’s business
has also evolved in its own
way. He abandoned the retail route
and swiched his business operation
to a studio, where he can spend
more time catering to clients and
does not have to deal with walk-in
customers. The change in scenery
has also translated into new opportunities
during the COVID era.
“For me, my business actually
increased because of COVID because
so many more people are out
here,” he said.
Masone is riding out the pandemic
by serving folks at private
dinner parties, delivering fl owers
every week, and creating “beautiful
entrance pieces that change weekly.”
His online store, where he offers
fl owers, gourmet chocolates, and his
favorite fl ower — orchids — has become
a central part of his business.
“I love when things come to life
at an event,” he says. “It’s so gratifying,
when the candles are lit, to
see everyone walk in and say ooh
and ahh. It’s just amazing, as is
the relationship that grows with
the client.”
April 22 - May 5,26 2021 | GayCityNews.com
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