Naples florist grows dream business with Flora & Fauna

Allison Keevan Flores wanted to get back to nature.

She grew up in Naples with an interest in plants and flowers, the type of child who delighted in getting a rose bush as a gift. She left to study interior design at Florida State University, then returned to her hometown to work for a design firm.

“I loved interior design, but I wasn’t really feeling fulfilled,” she says. “I had been dreaming of pursuing a more simple kind of passion.”

The result was Flora & Fauna. The elegant Naples shop specializes in floral design, creating everything from simple bouquets to grand arrangements for weddings and large events.

Flores actually started the business from home in 2022, with family and friends as her first clients. One of her earliest projects was designing the florals for her sister’s rehearsal dinner.

“It gave me confidence,” she says. “I thought, ‘This is exactly what I need to be doing right now.’ So, I decided to take a chance on the business. If not now, then when?”

She opened Flora & Fauna in September 2024, and it has quickly grown to include four employees. Her products are largely imported — the majority of fresh-cut flowers in the U.S. come from South American countries — though she also sources from local flower growers when possible.

“There’s not a lot of local product, so it’s always exciting to find a grower right in our backyard,” she says.

She has grown the business mainly through word of mouth, though she said being from Naples has helped. The goal is to make the shop itself a hub of activity; a Champagne room allows customers to sip bubbly while browsing the small home goods section or discussing floral designs. Flores also has found success hosting floral design classes and wine-and-cheese tastings.

Outside the shop, she attends pop-up events throughout town with a floral cart.

“I’m trying to get my name in front of as many people as possible,” she says.