Karissa Ruano, owner of Flor Del Soul (photo Gabriel Diaz)

by Cassandra Hetherington

Karissa Ruano has lived in Virginia nearly her whole life. A daughter of Salvadoran immigrants, Karissa grew up in Springfield, Virginia, earning undergraduate and graduate degrees in Social Work at Virginia universities. Her childhood connection to DC was through her school field trips to monuments and museums. As an adult, she felt drawn to the non-touristy side of the District and moved to Petworth in July 2020.

Karissa’s main job is as a Federal contractor for the Children’s Bureau. She works tirelessly to better the lives of families and children, and although she loves her job, working in the child welfare field can be exhausting. It was this fatigue that propelled Karissa to explore her creative side through a part time job at the Petworth flower shop She Loves Me.

In Summer 2018, Karissa volunteered to provide the flower arrangements for a friend’s wedding. When the wedding photographer asked to tag her on social media, Karissa made up Flor Del Soul. Through word of mouth, mostly on Instagram, Flor Del Soul was hired for photo shoots, more weddings, and Karissa knew she needed to become a real business. Even during the pandemic, Karissa remained busy. With help from her mother, and sister Jenni Ruano, Flor Del Soul provided stunning floral arrangements for brides and grooms in the region. Karissa professes to thrive on “running herself into the ground,” working 12-16 hour per day. Flor Del Soul is booked with weddings through the end of the year.

This past winter, Karissa met Adriana Mendoza at Femme Fatale DC Outdoor Market in Mount Vernon and was invited to sell her plants there. Femme Fatale is more than a retail space — they are a community-minded incubator for small, local creative entrepreneurs that pop up around the city. This iteration of Femme Fatale, the sixth, is the largest to date with 70 entrepreneurs. (Full disclosure, I am included in this group).

Adriana Mendoza and Cee Smith (photo Tony Powell)

With a cohort this expansive, it didn’t take long to find an entrepreneur from Petworth. Adriana, her partner Cee Smith, and the entire women team have transformed the space formerly occupied by Wake Up Little Suzie into a creative, artsy ecosystem, pulsating with energy in the heart of Cleveland Park.

Karissa loves being an entrepreneur with Femme Fatale DC and living in Petworth, a neighborhood she describes as having that city vibe without an urban hustle and bustle.

In addition to house plants, entrepreneurs at Femme Fatale sell a variety of goods from jewelry, clothing, and greeting cards, to art, bath salts, and crystals, all created by local womxn. Femme Fatale also hosts events, a weekly mystery cocktail happy hour, and a variety of workshops. Soon, they will be adding coffee to be savored in the backyard, where anyone is also invited to work or relax.

As our world is opening back up, cicadas are loudly singing and everything seems to be pulsating with energy at this moment, especially in Cleveland Park.

Check out Flor Del Soul at Femme Fatale!