​Our Origins Story

by founder, executive director -  Erin Williams

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As Naples natives and artists, my husband and I have watched our hometown transform from the laid-back beach town where we once wandered barefoot down a quiet Fifth Avenue into a destination where barefoot simplicity has given way to well-heeled sophistication. What was once casual and close-knit now draws visitors from around the world — a place where beauty, art, and luxury often coexist with remarkable abundance.

My husband, a glassblower, often demonstrates his craft at luxury hotels and private events. After these gatherings, he began to notice piles of freshly cut flowers — still vibrant, still fragrant — tossed aside in dumpsters at the end of the night. Knowing my love of all things green, he started bringing a few stems home. Soon, a few stems became armfuls, and I found myself gathering and rearranging the remnants into new, unexpected beauty.

It felt fitting. In our home, art and upcycling often meet. My rescued flowers sat on a coffee table crafted from salvaged wood, across from our favorite couch — a nearly new find we discovered on the side of the road one anniversary evening. That night we canceled our dinner reservations to rescue it, realizing it was a treasure worth more than some cars. For two artists who tend to see a second life in items often thought to only have a single purpose, it felt natural to breathe new life into these forgotten blooms.

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One day, I realized that my “trashy tulips” had taken over our living room — far more flowers than one family could ever need. So we bundled them into small bouquets, balanced them on the laps of our two young boys, and drove to a nearby senior community center. Watching our children hand flowers to residents — seeing the smiles, the laughter, and the light those simple gestures sparked — changed everything.

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What began as a small, spontaneous act of kindness soon became a calling. The joy we witnessed convinced us that beauty shouldn’t end when an event does—and that discarded flowers could do far more than decorate. They could be the spark of a connection. They could comfort. They could reBloom.