Stem

Rude, Overpriced, Belligerent, and Inflexible
Being out of town for a long business trip I thought I would surprise my wife with a bouquet of flowers. I called Stem, because I have passed by while walking my dogs numerous times and it looked like a lovely little shop and I really enjoy supporting local small businesses. The owner (or whomever answers the phones and returns calls there) had difficulty explaining to me what was or was not included in the $ 50 minimum purchase for a delivery. Instead of hanging up and trying someone else, I decided that I would try a $ 65 bouquet. This seemed to confuse them so they suggested that we do «tied» flowers for $ 65, which with tax and fees came out to almost $ 100.
I returned home from my trip that night and the flowers were not there. I called our 24 hour doorman at our building and they did not have any record of any flowers nor anyone have attempted to make a delivery of flowers (they keep Orwellian levels of records on these things in my building). I called Stem and asked that my card be refunded since the surprise of my having sent my wife flowers while I was out of town had now passed.
I received a call back at 10:15am the next day from the same employee (owner?) who proceeded to give me 101 excuses on why they did not deliver the flowers (My wife didn’t answer her cell phone, I didn’t answer mine even though I was flying across the country). I asked for a refund and she refused. I asked to have them delivered at 12:15 PM, she refused. I reiterated that we have a 24 hour doorman as well as a full time nanny (that there is ALWAYS someone here) and she told me that since she had tried to call my wife yesterday, there was nothing that she could do. I am now going to pick them up by myself as the employee/​owner refused to refund the $ 15 delivery fee. She indicated that the way they handle this is just add more flowers (I guess this is not the first time this has occurred).
I’ve no idea of the history of this shop nor the typical protocols for attempting delivery (we live fewer than 2.5 blocks from the shop) however I am positive that I will NEVER do business with this florist again. If they had attempted delivery and there had been no-​one home, than I could understand the inability to refund, however there was NO delivery attempted and to suggest that the reason for this was that my wife (this was to be a surprise for goodness sakes) and I did not answer our mobiles prior to their attempting to deliver is unacceptable.

I had the good sense to use Stem as the florist for my wedding last month. I usually think that wedding flowers are boring and end up being a huge waste of money but the flowers that I got from Stem were so stunningly beautiful and effortless they pulled the whole day together. The guests couldn’t stop talking about them! Delgis (the owner) listened to exactly what I wanted and exactly what I didn’t want and then created the perfect arrangements. She practically read my mind. The price was beyond reasonable and the flowers were delivered perfectly on time — she even came to the hotel to hand deliver the bridal party bouquets herself! If you want flowers that perfectly reflect you and your aesthetic and aren’t just some cookie-​cutter arrangements then this is the place to go. I highly recommend using Stem for all of your floral needs!

Beautiful bouquets, but they have a lot of work to do on their customer service. I spent about an hour last week in their store setting up a regular flower service. I had wanted a Friday evening delivery, but was told that Saturday was a better day (asked to do what was convenient for the store, not the client). I agreed to Saturday, but said I would like to pick up in person on Saturday. I showed up at noon on Saturday and was told that delivery was better and they would deliver «later in the day» (again, the client is doing what i convenient for the store). I called at 6:45 pm as I still had not received my flowers and was told «it’s been really busy and we forgot about you». Hmmm. They offered to deliver Sunday and I refused an insisted on today. I am curious to see if and when anything is delivered. It’d close to 7:30 pm now… This is not how to run a business.

Stem is my new favorite florist. They did the bouquet, boutinier, and table arrangements for my wedding and totally killed it! Took our requests and spun them into something distinctive and beautiful. You’re definitely going to pay more than a deli or whatever, but what we got was a bargain: Cala lilies, some crazy thistle things, and Rosemary, which was actually really beautiful and fragrant and somehow made sense for our wedding.

Feeling extravagant and enjoy flowers that last for 2 days-​visit stem!
It is disappointing as they have a nice variety of flowers but none of them last very long. My advise to them would be to get a refrigeration system. I will be heading elsewhere next time.

I placed an order from Vancouver today for my husband’s birthday and I was so impressed! I prefer small boutiques for flower delivery as it assures the money goes to support local business and because I can speak directly with the person creating the order to ensure it is personalized for the recipient. Delgis was so patient when my foreign credit card was having problems processing and my e-​transfer was equally ineffective. In the end, I was given same day service and the results were beautiful… truly. A gorgeous piece of art.

They easily handled a same day delivery over the phone from CA! Thanks, Stem!

This is one of my all time favorite floral shops. The owners are so great to work with, and they always have a unique assortment of flowers. Everything leaves there beautiful whether it is a few stems for $ 20 or a large an elaborate bouquet. They have unique window displays and other products for sale, and I love walking by the shop every few days.

I order a bouquet of flowers online and had it sent to a business in Brooklyn as a congratulatory gift. The staff at Stems was very helpful, fast, sent an online receipt within minutes, and the best part of all was they sent me photographs of the arrangement they put together. So often i have ordered arrangements by phone or online and have had no idea what the final product that was being delivered looked like. The receipient of the arrangement loved them so much she has decided to use Stems as their vendor to send out corporate gifts.
Really excellent!

The very sweet woman (I believe she’s the owner) who helped me was helpful and professional. The orchid I bought is still thriving, much longer than any other I’ve purchased. Definitely recommend.

I ordered flowers for my daughter when she was really sick with a virus, and they were wonderful to work with! The sales woman, Ruth, was terrific.

5 stars plus. Stem is my place to go when I need to flowers.
The owner is wonderful and extremely talented, he is able to create arrangements that are truly works of art. The flowers are always fresh and seem to live forever, they brighten up the house and always put a smile on my wife’s face.
I constantly return for more and highly recommend that you get your next arrangement at STEM!

Oh my goodness! I got the prettiest flowers delivered to me at my work by a very delivery nice man on my birthday. Apparently I also have the same birthday as his father :) A beautiful bouquet with roses and clovers, and I love the greens too — swoon! The flowers we’ve gotten from Stem for work events have all been super professional looking with a sense of funky flair. I LOVE this place.

I’ve been meaning to review this for quite a well. What can I say? Rado at Stem was with me from courtship to engagement to the flower arrangements for the wedding.
Old-​fashioned word of advice to guys: yes, you need to have a real source for flowers — not just the kind you get at the corner store that die in two days. If you live anywhere near Fort Greene/​Clinton Hill Stem’s your spot.

I am someone who really loves to add a pop of color to my fireplace with flowers. When I am feeling like having something more than bodega flowers, I treat myself to Stem.
Beautiful arrangements, fair prices for what you get, and lovely staff!

I am definitely a fan. The owner was delightful and very expedient with my order, being that I was in a rush. The only 2 cons: 1) I do need the shop to open on time (sign states noon, they opened at 12:15). Their selection wasn’t quite set-​up upstairs, the wife was still bringing arrangements/​flowers from downstairs. 2) Burgundy peonies started to wilt within 4 hours of arrangement… think they could have been a bit more fresh.
However, the shoppe was delightful and such a nice addition to the neighborhood. I’ll definitely make sure to stop by Stem again, for another floral arrangement.

Not your plain old bouquet!
Recently had a bouquet made for my girlfriend and she loved it.
I had never been to Stem before, but I saw they were local on Unilocal,so I just walked in on a Friday afternoon.
I told them a little about what I wanted and what my budget was. Then I sat while the man helping me put together a beautiful, diverse bouquet. The best part of the bouquet was that it was more than just flowers, the thistles were especially beautiful.
I wanted something significantly nicer than deli flowers and while it wasn’t cheap, I was very pleased with what I got. They’ve been brightening our apartment for almost a week now.
The shop is cute & beautiful with pleasant classical music playing. They also had a nice selection of local crafts including nice letterpressed note cards.

I live in the neighborhood. These guys are fantastic. Always have a unique variety of flowers. Very helpful.

The most wonderful flower shop there ever was, with an equally wonderful owner. I stopped by, having been charmed by the vintage racquets in the window and was pleasantly surprised to find it was a flower shop. Had no need or intention of purchasing flowers, but upon glancing at the lovely and unique selection, I couldn’t help but pick up a flower or two. This is how flowers should be done.
I’d rather one flower from Stem than three dozen from a cheesy commercial florist any day.

Stem! Stem! Stem!
I don’t mean to get all misty, but I am moving out of the ‘hood in less than two weeks, and hands down, the place I am going to miss most of all is Stem — the most charming little flower shop you will ever meet. See that chalkboard on Fulton pointing you towards fresh flowers? That’s Stem! Go!
The front table has all sorts of stems (ok, obviously) sorted into vases for your choosing, or you can ask one of the owners to make an arrangement. After choosing the flowers, Rado makes sure you know how to take care of them, and ties everything up in brown tissue paper and stripey string with a store tag — it’s a little parcel that makes me SO happy. And the flowers, for the most part (when I remember his advice) last a looooong time, which is always a good sign. Plus I like that I can walk in and buy just one or two stems for a bud vase and be treated just as well as if I was buying a huge bouquet.
Stem also has a small stock of cards and gifty things (antique linens!) — the first time I came in I stocked up on a bunch of faux-​bois printed blank cards that were super cheap considering the going rate for cute cards. And I’ve heard through the grapevine that you’re starting to see Stem around the neighborhood — on the tables at Ici, and as party favors at the latest Thistle & Clover trunk show (ok, that I know because I went to T&C specifically because I knew there would be Stem stems there! Am I a flower groupie?)
I love cozy, independently-​owned shops, and now that I’m leaving Brooklyn you should all go buy fleurs from Rado and think of me. Or you could buy ME flowers. That would be cool too.