Naples florist delivering care with every bouquet, putting safety first

It’s less than two weeks until Mother’s Day and although this will not be a typical one due to COVID-19, one florist is hoping to make a comeback.

Flowers are Michael Longo’s livelihood. More importantly, they’re his way to show his love for his home and work families as well as his customers.

“When they order stuff for their families, here we are treating them as if they are my own.”

Because for Longo, taking orders and making deliveries these days is personal.

“I lost my father in New York City a couple weeks ago to this and to know the devastation of not being able to go up there to see him, to say goodbye and to have him go along, that’s quite devastating,” he said.

Through the pain, Longo’s kept Naples Floral Design open while at the same time making important changes.

“We reset the whole store up so we’re still not going to let people in,” he said.

Longo showed us around his new setup with every employee spaced out, plus, “We have a section where if people want to pick something up they can call us.”

All the while keeping health and safety top of mind.

“Everybody has different fears and we just want to keep everyone safe and let everybody know that if they order something from here, nobody here is in jeopardy,” Longo said, as they handle every bouquet with care.

Like with so many others, Longo says his business got hit hard by the pandemic. He’s hoping Mother’s Day coming up will help him rebound.