Our Jungle Next Door

Stepping into NorthFlora Collective feels less like walking into a store and more like a tropical rainforest. With rows of wild-looking plants, the lush patio beer garden, and the mysterious “Dark Side” next door, it’s not just a plant shop; it’s a miniature vacation and a showcase of Tallahassee culture. 

But like any delicate ecosystem, this place teeming with life conceals the hardships overcome for survival. Owners Rocky and Keith Pogge have endured plenty to keep their dream alive.

During the height of COVID, Rocky was overwhelmed. Health issues, school, and caring for her newborn daughter played a role, of course. Knowing Rocky’s love of plants, Keith built her a greenhouse, and they began meeting other plant lovers to trade plants. Rocky knew she wanted to take it further when a guest said her greenhouse was their “happy place.” 

“I felt like if this makes other people as happy as me,” Rocky says, “there’s something behind this. And we wanted to expand on it.” 

Photo by Tiffany Ward

Turning their dream into a successful business turned out to be an uphill battle. Local growers wouldn’t sell to them—they once bartered for plants with wood from Rocky’s father’s business—and with full-time jobs, they struggled to sustain time-consuming pop-up shops. 

In April of 2022, they moved into a run-down Railroad Square warehouse that Keith fixed up himself. Two days later, they participated in First Friday for the first time.

“I have a picture of our first First Friday event,” Rocky says. “It’s two lawn chairs, a little pop-up folding table, and like 30 plants.”

With every First Friday, the business grew. “People would come back the next First Friday and say, ‘Oh man, [your shop] looks so much different,’” Keith says.

But nature had more in store. In 2024, the two tornadoes that swept through Railroad Square destroyed NorthFlora’s first iteration. 

Photo by Tiffany Ward

“It was right before Mother’s Day, and Mother’s Day weekend is traditionally the busiest [and] most profitable weekend for us,” Keith says. “So, we’d spent a bunch of money on inventory, and we had it all [in the shop].”

“The water main was busted, it was flooding, fences were ripped down, there were trees on top of the roof,” Rocky says. “It was just so heartbreaking.”

Keith and Rocky fell back on their community for support. They held a benefit yard sale and were shocked to attract over 100 people. 

“The community really rallied together,” Rocky says. “I think I sat down afterward and just cried.”

Community is still a central pillar for NorthFlora. The shop hosts events for groups ranging from university faculty to local bands to Pokémon card  traders.

Photo by Tiffany Ward

“It’s a spot where everybody is welcome: all the cool people, all the weirdos, all of our plant lovers,” Rocky says. “It’s where anything and everything is possible.”

In February 2025, NorthFlora celebrated its grand reopening in a new building. The victory was hard earned: Though the structure had been repaired, it was filled with materials from the previous tenant and left for months without a roof. Keith and Rocky donned hazmat suits and transformed it from a moldy mess to a lush escape. 

Yet although they’re back on their feet, the Pogges aren’t out of the woods. A day before their grand reopening, they were told the building was put up for sale. 

“It’s hard to live every day [thinking], ‘I don’t know if I’ll have a business tomorrow,’” Rocky says.

But through all their hardships, they’ve never given up hope. 

“In a time where everything is so negative, it’s nice to have one glimmer of hope or awesomeness,” Keith says.