Rootstock & Quade

Doesn't Recommend

danienyc

Joined 3 years ago

Amazing Ideas, Disappointing Execution. Rootstok & Quade came highly recommended by The Palm House as a wonderful wedding florist, however, I have to say I was completely underwhelmed and disappointed by the flowers they delivered for our wedding, especially for the prices I paid!

The bouquets arrived already slightly wilted and my bouquet had a ribbon in a color that really did not go with my palette. The ribbon had way to much of a red undertone, rather than the plum purple it should have been. I have to mention that I gave them swatches of both the table cloths and the bridesmaid dresses, so really there was no excuse for it to be so off. If they couldn't match it, they shouldn't have used it.

The boutonniere's didn't make it past the ceremony, you can see them drooping in the pictures. I showed her a beautiful picture of unique boutonnieres with textural and floral elements, but the textural elements we received were a cheap looking, silver, iridescent leaf backing. I paid for my arrangements to be filled with "sparkly crystals" and was deeply disappointed to find the vases filled with a bubbly gel with nothing suspended inside. There were no loose textural blooms anywhere, like described in Kerry's plan. It was not at all the lush look I was expecting at all. I called and received no explanation as to why there were no crystals or loose textural blooms. I received an apology that simply stated, "we are sorry you were disappointed". However, they did create a beautiful crystal tree for us, but it looked out of place without the crystal theme carried out as it should have been. The flowers atop the vases that were filled with the "infamous" gel, were actually quite nice. Had it not been my wedding and had I not been expecting lush crystals and textural blooms throughout, I would have thought it was great. They were also prompt in refunding the difference in price on the things they did not deliver.

Honestly, I think something must have gone wrong or someone messed up, because I just can not believe that what we got was the vision Kerry had planned.

Doesn't Recommend

pwijk

Joined 3 years ago

Worst ever. One star. And that's only because I can't give zero.

A worse ran business is hard to imagine, and when you voice this to the owner he doesn't try to get better but gives lame excuses that actually just proves his ignorance.

Here's the story. We bought a condo in CH last year, our lovely broker gave us a $100 gift certificate as a move in gift. Nice no? And yes, you guessed it, it was at this lovely little local shop, which I try to support with business in general as it helps the neighborhood thrive.

So, we set up an appointment (1st week of May) so he can see the space in order to do a suggestion/design of improvements. Ho drops by, we talk about things that can be done, colors we like and dislike. he makes some general comments "light here, plant there" you get the gist. A chat. For ahh.. I'd say.. 40-45 minutes. (fyi, I love my patio and had a budget of $1000 in my head, I mention this only so he knows what he missed when he reads this). Needless to say I was excited to get this work done for the summer.

He did apologize that it would take him 10 days to send us the suggestions/design as he was very busy. I felt 10 days is reasonable, beginning of the season and all. What then follows is silence, ignorance and utter bs.

Time passes, we call, e-mail.. walk in the store.. you know, what customers do when they get ignored. We chat to the girl working there and she apologizes and promises to make sure he gets back to us. At this point as simple 'no go away' is better than nothing as we could have then gone somewhere else and got it done. (I don't want to blame anything on the girl working there, she is not to blame, just to be clear). But we get.. you guessed it..nothing.

As the summer now is officially over we decided to get back one last time and if not get the design we were promised then at least get some nice stuff for the patio, we thought. As we argued this point of view, that we are somewhat disappointed, we got the 'talk to the hand' approach.

He has the balls (well..) to just say sorry, but the hour (yeah right) I spent at you place was all you get for that $100. So FU. Bye.

To be fair, he used better language. Here it is.

"I apologize that I have not gotten back to you till now. You were given a certificate that was for a one hour consultation. I came there for an hour and gave you a consultation. I said I would come up with a design and I am sorry that I didn't but I was not obligated by the consultation fee to do so. I had a extremely busy summer and could not take on any more than I was already doing. I apologize that you are disappointed but as of now I am booked for the rest of the season and will not be able to help you with the garden. I didn't mean to string you along but I thought I could help but could not.

To be clear, you are not entitled to a refund or any merchandise from the the store."

This is after 4 and a half months!!

So, you be the judge people. My advise? Walk on by.

(Sorry this is long but I'm pissed!)

Doesn't Recommend

abronor

Joined 3 years ago

Mixed feelings. Thought this place would be a no-brainer for my simple wedding flowers (in 2008) but I was a little disappointed. The service was perfectly fine. I ordered a small, bridal bouquet of roses and a few nosegays and boutanniers. They were accommodating of the fact that my budget was small and that I wasn't ordering much. However, when we picked up the flowers, there were definitely some brown petals throughout and they just generally didn't look very fresh. One of my bridesmaid's nosegays didn't have the thorns taken off the stems either which just seemed careless for an otherwise straightforward, basic order. Don't know if I didn't spend enough for them to bother or if it was a busy weekend but I wasn't thrilled with the final result. I was happy that I saved the rest of my flower needs for the local bodegas and the farmer's market in Park Slope.

Recommends

KevinParkSlope

Joined 5 years ago

Grateful Valentine's Flowers Recipient. So I live in Park Slope but work at a magazine in midtown. My partner ordered flowers from Rootstock--on the phone, so the bouquet was not planned by him--and they arrived at work around 11:30 Valentine's Day. Just beautiful. Interesting arrangement, exotic flowers (there are even raspberries in it), cool vase, trendy low arrangement, and not in the least bit gaudy. I can't thank them enough for doing such a great job and I can't believe how early they arrived. This was his first order from there, and I know we will be using them again.

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bex610

Joined 6 years ago

GORGEOUS wedding flowers!. We used Kerry and crew for our June wedding at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. We can not express in writing how gorgeous all of the flowers were! We would not have changed a single thing about them. We told Kerry our color ideas and let her do her thing. It was amazing - our personalities were totally reflected in the flowers!! We were THRILLED! The bridal bouquet was unbelievable. Everyone was asking what types of flowers they were because they were just so stunning and different. The centerpieces were gorgeous - lush and overflowing with flowers...We can not recommend enough!!!!

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alarson

Joined 7 years ago

a happy friend. wanted to cheer up a friend and didn't know what to send. the folks at this shop were so helpful, I dont order flowers much but i was assured that it would be beautiful. my friend loved it and i visited her later in the week and it was a work of art! the flowers were so fresh and stuff i'd never seen before. Some of them looked like candy - good enough to eat!

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shellyj033

Joined 7 years ago

wedding bliss. I just got my photos back from our wedding this past August and they are everything i hoped! The flowers were so amazing-- that was the one thing i was extremely picky about and wanted to make sure were gorgeous. Every photograph that was taken had a beautiful altar floral or centerpiece in it. I just told Kerry at Rootstock my colors and my favorite flowers and they did an amazing job with figuring out the rest. From trees to floral to the candles they were the best. THANK YOU!!!!

Doesn't Recommend

smartypanties

Joined 7 years ago

Wedding Disappointment. First off, I am not one to complain. I thought i'd support the local smallish business. Kerry was very nice and accommodating. But not only did the wedding flowers they delivered to me look nearly dead and far worse than bodega flowers (i had to buy fake corn silk flowers across the street at the last second for a dollar each for me and my attendants) and the mothers flowers didn't affix to their clothing or their wrists as promised, but a guy there had the audacity to call me and YELL at me for my email to them that expressed disappointment. I was happy to pay for the groom flowers and nice baskets, but he refused to reimburse me for the bad flowers. I am shocked by the lack of professionalism and will never ever go there again.

Recommends

heroxjimmy

Joined 8 years ago

I love this store!!!. John and Kerry have set up the most unbelievable store... it is beautiful and filled with all kinds of unusual things. Check out John for a garden consultation... he will amaze you. If you are getting married or something, go no further than Kerry. These two just totally rock.

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fkramerjr

Joined 8 years ago

outstanding. root stock & quade is one of the most stylish shops I've been in. From the paint scheme on the walls to its well-appointed stock, it welcomes and beckons you into its lush world. It's full of houseplants, containers, lawn and garden supplies, and orchids. And oh, those flowers! An ever-changing scene of exotics and unique species. The seasonal selections are exceptional -- I think they have the best collection of glass Christmas ornaments in the city!