For nearly 250 years, the Floris family has been operating out of the same storefront, located in the fashionable district of Piccadilly in the heart of London. In fact, both the eighth and ninth generations continue to ship fragrances and toiletries around the globe. Not only are they eagerly desired by members of the royal family, they are sought after by politicians and celebrities alike.
In 1730, Juan Famenias Floris arrived in England from his native island of Menorca, (one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea) with his wife Elizabeth to seek his fame and fortune in the Big Smoke. What began as a modest barber shop grew into a multi-million dollar industry shipping products around the globe.
Within the first 100 years of operation, the Floris family would be granted their first Royal Warrant, an official decree that a business provides services or products to a member of the royal family. In this case, it was a smooth pointed comb fancied by King George IV, (1732 – 1830). Over the years that followed, the Floris family would be granted no less than 19 more, including perfume warrants for Queen Elizabeth II.
These Royal Warrants are on display in a mini-museum, along with a plethora of other objects that illustrate the company’s prestige and significance within this Grade II listed building. Various displays are showcased in mahogany wooden cabinets that were initially purchased for the Great Exhibition, held at the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park in 1851.
In 2017, the company refurbished the showroom. It includes a collection of products and paraphernalia associated with their world-renowned clientele, which has included Mary Shelley, Florence Nightingale, Oscar Wilde, Winston Churchill, Marilyn Monroe, Sir Laurence Olivier, Noel Coward, and Ian Fleming. The latter, author of the James Bond spy novels, included a mention of Floris in Moonraker.
