Heather Rohling is a Salem native who owns a small business called Fauning Over Flora. She owns a storefront in The Shops on Riverbend in West Salem and a floral cooler in Furbish — A Salvage Place in South Salem. The self-named “flower enchantress” creates unique floral designs and offers subscriptions and delivery services.
Before she was a self-taught florist, Rohling worked as a teacher. She taught for five years in Tanzania, Africa. After she moved back to the States, she had been doing flowers part-time. Over the pandemic, she got laid off from her job and continued to find joy in the beauty of the flowers. She started a delivery service, doing weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly bouquets for gifts, homes, offices, etc. Fauning Over Flora offers complete floral services for weddings including bridal party bouquets, boutonnieres, table arrangements, and more. Her unique, no-formula bouquets are incredibly personal. Heather takes time perfecting them, saying, “When I’m creating for any type of sentiment, I’m really thinking about the person.” She loves the range of reasons for flowers: weddings, apologies, funerals, gifts, etc. “It’s so personal and so special for both the person and me.” On her website, Heather says, “I wake up astounded every single day, knowing that I get to use flowers to express my creativity and connect with you through this art form… as my ‘job’.” She doesn’t see it as a job; it is an outlet for her creativity and a way for interpersonal connection to flow. She describes her job as a florist as a “topsy-turvy, petal-laden dream.”
Rohling first opened her storefront in 2022 after falling in love with the windows and the building. Her brother and sister-in-law own Nails West, a nail salon right next door in The Shops on Riverbend. She saw a need for a florist in West, saying, “There’s a lack of small businesses on [the West] side of Salem.” Her family, especially her brother, was supportive, which helped her to lift her dreams off of the ground. She has a young daughter and said that her family all help to care for her. She expressed that it was a “huge transition” being away from her daughter, especially having been home with her during the pandemic, but she is eternally grateful to her family.
When coming up with the name for her business, it took a while. She played around with the idea of flowers and plants, and eventually landed on Fauning Over Flora. Heather comments, “It just kind of came to me. I love writing, too, and I love words.” The logo is a moth from East Africa called the Nudaurelia Dione. “Africa will always be a part of me,” Rohling stated. The Nudaurelia Dione lives in places that often have a very distinct ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ season, so their flight paths often align with the rain. The moths rely on the rain, much like flowers do.
When she started her business, Heather wanted to create feelings and emotions within her floral design. Her favorite part about floristry is being able to be a part of things. She loves going to the Portland flower markets or local farms to color-match different flowers, imagining different combinations. She loves seeing what works best together, and what might be an unlikely pairing that turns out to be beautiful.
“I think that owning my own business, I’m so motivated to make the customers feel what I feel when they see the flowers. You know, I can control how everybody walks out of here. I think that’s really powerful.” Heather expressed that she likes having ownership and likes feeling in control of things.
She loves Salem, and is grateful for the West Salem community for being so positive and welcoming of her and her flowers. “It’s so welcoming over here. Everyone is excited about having a new small business. A lot of the time, I hear people say ‘We don’t have enough small businesses on this side!’ and I agree, you know?” She gives her advice to people who are thinking of starting a business: “I always thought that people who started businesses — you know, it wasn’t me. But now it is! So just go for it. Anybody can do it. If you have an idea, go for it! I didn’t plan to start a business, but here I am!” Talking to her, I couldn’t stop smiling; her positivity is infectious. She radiates grace, positivity, and creativity. “I don’t ever dread work. Ever! Now that I’m working in something I’m passionate about. And you know, I know it sounds cliché, but when you find your passion, the possibilities are endless.”
