Fancy Free Nursery — Attraction in Tampa

First off how this place is not 5 stars is sad to me. I recently found fancy free last week as I just relocated back to Tampa last month. I am passionate about plants but in specific, Alocasia’s - my first visit here I left with every Alocasia they had ranging in sizes from 4inches to 10 +inches. Full transparency I was so elated to see their variety that I didn’t even look at the prices - at check out I was amazed how respectable their pricing is but more so how beautiful each and every leaf on my new favorites were. In speaking to the gentleman that assisted me I inquired on special requests, he indicated to send a Facebook message and they would be happy to do so. I stopped in two days later and while they didn’t have any new ones in (nor did I expect them to ) I wanted to get duplicates on some I purchased the few days prior. I believe I met the owner, Robby (if he’s not the owner the owner should be proud in his team member). In conversation and not having Facebook, I asked if he could locate some of my favorite alocasia’s that hadn’t made the move with me from NJ. He wrote the list and in just three short days messaged me today to advise they were in. Robby hand picked every alocasia on my list from the grower and shared the same excitement with me when I took delivery. He even picked up ones I didn’t ask for and held them for me to decide if I wanted them before he sold to his other valued customers in the event I didn’t have those species in my collection . There was one he wasn’t able to get not because he couldn’t locate it but he chose my plants health over his sale as the purple cloak alocasia I requested had spider mites. That kind of customer service and pride in his business deserves a bow! Bravo- kudos!!! From their selection, kindness, staff, husband and wife duo( assuming - I believe melody is her name she is equally awesome ), knowledge of plants , and their dog (yes I am in love with that pregnant pup) makes this hands down my new and only favorite plant shop (I have frequented hundreds in almost every state )- I read a previous review on pricing - take it from someone that has purchased alocasia’s from all across the world they are not pricey in the slightest and you are not getting a starter plant or plug - the roots are wrapped around each pot twenty times over they are healthy from a quality grower. In addition, this isn’t Walmart / it is a locally run operation, I would assume have rent or a mortgage to pay and a family to provide for. It’s pretty hard to stay alive at $7 a transaction for the garbage you get on Etsy (if your package actually arrives let alone alive). I can’t speak more highly about Fancy Free but it’s not just the plants - it’s the people - and dog! Thank you - I am beyond elated with my new alocasia’s but more importantly to have met top notch business owners that put their customer over their sales. Thank you...

I’ve been coming here since they originally opened. I heard about them through word of mouth. They were really nice at first. We live about 45 minutes to an hour away from them. So it’s a day trip in itself to come visit this store/area. I started going there because I wanted to support a small local businesses. I’m a daughter, in-law, & friend of many small business owners. So shopping small & local is very important to my family & myself. It’s a beautiful shop. The prices were higher than I’d like, but I’d rather spend my money to help support a family than some corporation that sells generic plants. I kept up with them on Instagram because they started getting a lot of plants that I had never seen before (I’m originally from the Midwest so we didn’t have a very exotic variety to chose from) & was truly interested in getting my hands on. The more I came in the worse the customer service got. At first they were really nice & informative. After a while it seemed like you were inconveniencing anyone you’d ask a simple question about a plant you genuinely knew nothing about. I grew up with parents who had an immaculate garden & koi ponds my whole life. All of my birthdays I would always go spend at the botanical gardens. So gardening was something I’ve always been into. I came to this store genuinely trying to be supportive and also wanting to broaden my plant collection. I started noticing the plants I had purchased from here didn’t survive long. At first I thought it was just me. But after talking to several of my garden loving friends, they too lost their beloved plants from here as well. I brought home a few I really wanted and spent more than I’m willing to admit on plants 😂 and within a few days one I had spent the most on started looking rough without me even touching. So I reached out to them to see if I could do anything to bring it back to it’s normal self. And instead of getting help right away it seemed as if they were inconvenienced again and got a little snarky about it. That was kind of the final straw for me. I really wanted to like and support this store. But I’m not interested in going here to take a picture with a plant for Instagram likes. I go there because I really am interested in adding to my large collection at home. I tried to be a supportive patron. But the more I tried to frequent the store, the more I felt like a nuisance than anything. So sadly this store has lost...

I had been wanting to stop in here for some time. I had read the reviews but also followed them on Instagram so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was told by some people it’s a cute place with plenty of attitude well that definitely wasn’t my experience. I went in and it was one of the cleanest places I have ever been too. The plants are beyond healthy. Not a yellow leaf, no over or under watered plants, no insect damage and they were beautifully displayed. I was then greeted by Tina. She was cheerful engaging and definitely knew the plants she was selling. I watched customers come in and the young gentleman working with her (I’m sorry I didn’t catch his name) eagerly went to help them. They answered everyone’s questions and Tina diagnosed a plant from a picture on a phone. Totally not what I read in the reviews about the staff. They were an absolute pleasure to deal with. I have read people complain about their prices and they are more then the box stores but your not getting a barely alive croton here. The plants were super healthy and as a collector some hard to find beauties. I’ll post in here and on my Instagram. If you want to pay $10 for a snake plant this is not your store. Which is fine because if you were looking for a Monsterea rapid dubia staked or an Alocasia silver dragon (simply stunning) then this is your place. This is a high quality plant store run by people who obviously love plants. This is truly a special place. Lastly as a former independent garden center owner I want to congratulate the owners. It is incredibly hard to run a small business and to have the level that was shown in presentation, service, rare plants and healthy plant material is truly something you do not see every day. There are many garden centers that could learn from this place and I will...