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I love their farm stand for fresh fruits and veggies (and often various other goodies), but today was the first time I've ever bought my Christmas tree from Mahoney's and it definitely won't be the last!!
I was a bit worried the place would be a madhouse and bf would get aggravated waiting in line to get a tree. But it wasn't like that at all. There was plenty of parking in the lot and the area where the trees are is quite spacious. You could really get a nice look at each tree. We picked out our tree and then they shook it to knock off excess needles and wrapped it up quickly. No line to pay either - they really had everything moving so quickly and organized. Probably the best tree buying experience ever.
DO NOT BUY your Christmas products at Mahoney's Garden Center. Why you ask? If you buy a Christmas tree at Mahoney's you are buying into and supporting a company that lays off employees and then lies about it. My mother and I were laid off after 11 years of loyal service in January 2009 due to a "reduction in force." Tom Mahoney was quoted in an article in the Boston Globe on 11/19/09 saying "the company has not laid off anyone." This outright lie and I have proof.
That is my two cents. You can pay 200% markup and support a company that lies about what they have done. Makes you wonder what else they are hiding. Perhaps they pay their childrens cell phone text messaging bill out of company funds while telling accounts payable employees that they have to cut thier hours back and reduce the 401K match due to the ailing economy. Maybe if companies didn't pay all their personal vehicles, mortgages, and personal entertainment bills out of company funds they could stay afloat without borrowing millions or laying off permanent and loyal employees. Maybe they wouldn't have to have a "fire or a break in" Maybe. Just hypothetical of course. I would say for sure but I don't want this to get deleted. Just a theory of what could be happening there of course.......
If I were you, I would take my business to Home Depot, the Christmas tree shop, even the boy scouts before I would buy my family Christmas tree from liars. Please think of me and my family, just ask yourself , What kind of business practices am I condoning by buying here? Please just drive 2 seconds down the street next to the 99 restaurant and go to Mccues Garden Center in Woburn!!!!!
I used to work here.
It was hell.
Oh - no - I wasn't one of them cool tanned guys lugging around bags of mulch.
I worked in the Farmstand. Which was garbage back then. I used to complain incessantly over the need for refrigeration for the vegetables. They were too cheap to fix it up.
What did they do after I left? Yep. Fixed it up. Farmstand is much improved now.
They still got cute girls that work here, though!
Ah- overall it's a nice big Winchester standard. Get your plans or flowers or Christmas decorations or maybe some corn here.
Why 3 stars? Because the management were real jerks when I worked there. Don't get me started!!!!!!
I have ALWAYS gone to Mahoney's for my horticultural needs. These range from potted plants to Christmas trees and even floral arrangement (which coincidentally is the reason I stopped by this past weekend). And I go there for several reasons, only one of which is the convenience factor.
This is no longer the case. I am officially done with Mahoney's. I have never been so poorly treated by a cashier in my life. I approached the young woman with my arrangement (which I picked from the premade section solely because the three employees near me were so immersed in there conversation, I did not bother asking which of them was the florist), and said "hello". She said nothing. She rang up my purchase, and again said nothing. I handed her my card, she looked at it, rolled her eyes, and said "debit or credit" in an extremely obligatory tone. I said "debit is fine, thank you." She said nothing and practically threw the PIN pad at me. I handed it back to her, she said nothing. She handed me my receipt, and again said nothing. I left with my arrangement.
An eye roll, three words, and a general attitude. I'm sorry but there is absolutely no need for that.
I am a little upset that I now have to find a new Christmas tree tradition.
I am always wary of going to Mahoney's. This chain ate up the beloved family-owned/run garden center in my hometown (Laughton's in Chelmsford, memory eternal to that lovely place) and so I've always looked at it a bit askew.
But this Mahoney's is close to where I live now and has made itself exceedingly useful to me. In addition to its very wide selection of seedlings and seed starters, they have all the tools that I need for indoor and outdoor gardening. The fact that they have all the basics and more gives them a solid three stars. This place is missing a bit of that comfort/familiarity that really sets apart the smaller garden centers that I feel is very necessary--not that I'm expecting the nice guys from the Victory Garden to help me plan my vegetable garden--but it does feel a bit like a greenery mall to me. Maybe it's just me, I dunno. All that said, this is the place I will keep going back to when I need my gardening basics. Really can't complain.
I have to agree Mahoneys is an amazing place to pick up flowers or plants. Very friendly people and accomodating. Always a good source for Christmas trees and they dont raise there prices according to the seasons....
A
I have always been a fan of Mahoney's. No one has a larger selection of flowers, plants, trees, etc. It's best to get their early on a weekend morning, or parking and maneuvering inside can be tricky. I have always found the staff to be very helpful in finding items or in offering suggestions.
I've been gardening for several years now so I wouldn't call myself "experienced" but not a n00b either, and Mahoney's in Winchester is one of those garden stores where I could spend WEEKS just walking...and walking...and walking around looking at their miles of greenhouses and plant stuff. It literally feels like you're in a giant field full of every plant you could possibly imagine when you're wandering through their store. I believe they have five enormous greenhouses of just plants, as well as building of pot/garden accessories. I really like that they have their plants organized by sun and shade as well as local/non-local. I try to plant as non-invasively as possible, so the big area of native New England plants was a pleasant surprise.
Also check out their awesome houseplant greenhouse...the smell in there is totally amazing, like spring without the allergies ;) And the colors when everything is in bloom will blow you away.
Compared to places like Home Depot or Stop and Shop, Mahoney's is expensive...but come on, this is the real deal. I would much rather pay a few extra $$ at a smaller, more local greenhouse that takes really good care of their plants than settle for mediocre at a giant chain place, if given the option. True, their garden decor is VERY expensive, but I am not much of a decor person anyway and rarely buy it, so Mahoney's fits the bill for me perfectly.
This is a great place to buy plants and virtually anything you could ever need in the garden. BUT beware when it comes time to check out. So far - and I've been there many many times - I can't say that I've ever been charged the right amount for what I've purchased here, and somehow the bill always seems to be more than it should be. I wouldn't mind if they occasionally undercharged, but when they ALWAYS overcharge it indicates to me that there's something fishy going on.
Also, beware of the garden accessories that they sell in the indoor area: we've found that many of the decorations that are sold as garden ornaments fall apart after being outdoors for just a few weeks. When this happens, Mahoneys are very squirrely about returns.
Smaller garden centers might not have the range of products that Mahoneys offers, but they usually offer more personalized service and the owners care enough about their customers to screen the bad products out before the customer gets stuck with them. I recommend Eric's in Reading - they might not quite have the selection, but the gardeners there know their stuff and are willing to give advice if asked. Also, the folks at the checkout counter take time to make sure they're charging the right amount for what you buy.
Went there today to grab some tropicals for my new apartment.
Yep, I stuffed the car full of plants. Though I wish one of those nice ladies at the information desk stepped in and helped this confused fella staring at instruction cards. They were busy. They got everything under the sun. Some stuff cheaper and some stuff more expensive than other places. If not for the wifey, I probably would have gotten entire jungle from there.
Checkout girls are a bit ditsy, but they are probably teenagers.
At the suggestion of my Dad, I came to Mahoney's to get my Christmas tree this year. Holy crap, I thought as we pulled up, these people are not messing around. It was like the mother of all Disney's for Holiday preparation.
The service was amazing. You are greeted, brought over to a touch&feel board and led to whatever direction you need to go. Oh the touch and feel board? Yeah I was like What Tha? too. There were like 12 different variety of tree's in a variety of prices. Let's just say I first went for was the Mercedes of trees not realizing the soft velet feel of it's branch would also mean an $100 price tag. Ouch! Yeah I'd like the station wagon please.
Anyway, the selection was great no matter that I was budgeted for. But on top of that they also shook out the tree (so I didn't carry in every loose needle), wrapped in up in some netting, cut off the stump and packed it up on the roof of my car. All the while, there was cheery music , a santa for the kiddies and fire pits to thaw out at. I was pretty impressed considering all you get is a grunt at most tree lots.
That's not all. Remember I mentioned this was Disney right? Head over to the heated garden center and poof! You are dropped into story land of decorations, wreaths, bows, ribbons & decorations all done up perfectly that would make Martha have an orgasm. All styled to tempt you to spend more. Just incase the 1500 ornaments you have waiting at home are not enough. Pricey but at the same time inspiring and magical. Do not go alone as you will need a friend to drag you out of there. As long as she isn't already filling a basket.
Although this was just a visit for a Christmas tree I was so impressed, I'm looking forward to checking it out again this summer. I imagine if the service and items was this good for the holiday season, I can only imagine what the rest of the year brings. I do have one caveat and I felt they were a bit pricey. But as long as you go with a budget in mind you should make it back to the real world safely.
I've been coming to Mahoney's since i was a little kid and have such fond memories of picking out plants with my mom!
Still the area's top garden center, it is also one of the best kept secrets in wedding florists. Significantly less expensive than the other bids i received and our flowers were wonderful. I recommend without reservation!
I love Mahoney's - the plants are healthy and the staff is very helpful and knowledgeable. Full spectrum of trees, bushes, annuals, etc . I have only been to the Winchester location.
A great place to make an event of gettng the Christmas tree, (although a bit expensive) hot cider (if i remember correclty) full service cutting and netting and help to get the sucker on top of the car.
I love this place. I wandered in after a meeting nearby in Burlington, and first wandered around their pumpkins and found three gorgeous ones for my front stoop. Then I headed to their main garden center and wandered for what had to have been over an hour. So much to choose from! There was a woman tending to the plants and she asked if I needed help, but didn't make me feel funny for wandering around for such an obscenely long time. I ended up getting some bright yellow begonias and some vivid red cyclomen for my living room! Oh and some very pungent basil.
It's somewhat dangerous, because I wanted to buy EVERYTHING. They have an amazing 'easy care' houseplant area full of plants and ferns that I am dying to shop from. And they had a huge selection of tree-style house plants, the ones with the pretty twisted/braided trunks.
Love love love love! Makes me wish I had a bigger home with more corners to shove plants in.
My garden has changed my life and Mahoney's changed my garden!
They have everything you could want here, or will order it for you. the staff (besides the high school cashiers) are very knowledgeable, helpful and friendly.
Plenty of parking and space to roam around.
I have always been more of a Lexington Gardens guy, but now that they are closed, Mahoney's is probably the place I go to most often for plants, supplies, etc. Their selection is much better than Lexington Gardens ever was, but the place always leaves me feeling a bit cold, as it doesn't have the close-knit feel that Lexington Gardens had.
Ahhhhh it's that time of year again... when you spend way too much money decorating dying vegetation.
Mahoney's does it right. They have hundreds of assorted, cut trees. I go for the Douglas. It doesn't smell as nice as a Balsam or look as pretty as a Blue Spruce, but the Douglas's will last until February. Trust me, I should know. I usually don't take down my Christmas tree until Easter.
But Mahoney's not only has the trees, they've gots the bling to go with them. Just head over to the Santa's Workshop Wonderland Whatchamacallit Center nearby, where they've inspired customers with already decorated trees and shelves and shelves of multicolored lights, ribbons and wreaths. I dare you to enter and not spend $300. Double dare.
Last year, I ended up going with a green and blue peacock themed tree. (WTF??). Yeah, I know. It's crazy, but that's what Mahoney's will do to you. It's Christmas crack, and I'll be back again soon, admiring the young bucks as they shake the needles off my little tree and saw it's trunk down to a stub that'll somehow fit into my apartment. You'll know it's me because I'll be holding a bag filled with this year's crazy tree theme--maybe pink bunnies? (At least that'll make sense next Easter when my tree's still up.)
They lose an itty bitty Christmas star for being a little pricey.
This place is beautiful, even just to walk around and get some ideas.
The best hanging plants anywhere, hands down.
Fresh cut flowers are always perfect.
The best place in the whole wide world. I love you guys. They always have something that just cheers up your day and puts a smile on your face. I usually go to the Winchester one, because its closest to my home. But i also hear they have other stores that are just as good. Keep up the great work people. Winchester loves you.
I think I visited the Brighton branch of Mahoney, and it was way smaller than this Winchester location. The Winchester location has tons of parking, lots of plants (indoor and outdoor), and even outdoor furniture, rugs, etc. Lots of planters (big and small), trellises, even a tiki hut. The prices were reasonable especially for the large selection, local grown plants, and exotics. All the plants are in good condition, and they had a really nice selection of cactus (which I love). This is now my go to place for gardening even though I live in Boston. Perfect!
I love going here, especially at the change of the seasons. They always have a wide variety of plants and flowers and everything is obviously well cared for. Huge pumpkin selection in the fall, as well as hay bales and other decorations. They sell a small selection of local produce and goods, such as jams, sauces, candies, etc. The staff is always friendly and helpful. Of course you pay for all this - but the quality is worth it.
Mahoney's is huge, and seems to have quite a variety of flowers at times, but... cha-frikin-ching! Holy crap, this place is expensive for flowers! I know I can get cheaper petals at the local grocery store, but I don't always get the quality. So if I need to make an especially nice presentation for a dinner party I drag my feet to Mahoney's first. I'm still looking for some place cheaper. I have to say though, they do tend to have some cute or interesting decorations and non-flower items I've purchased there. I got some really cool disco ball Christmas ornaments for .25 apiece(must have been after x-mas sale) and for some reason I absolutely couldn't leave the store without a stuffed toy sea otter(which I still have to hide from my cat).
i'm in love with this place.
their greenhouses are amazing. seriously. orchids that are like 3ft tall.
and at christmas, they transform the place. i wanted to buy all the ornaments. and the wreaths and trees were all really reasonably priced.
yay!
http://www.mahoneysgar.../
(Website under construction as of July 05)
If you're looking for the best flowering shrubs, bushes, trees, indoor and outdoor plants from all seasons, and gardening equipment, check out Mahoney's Garden Centers. The original location being in my town of Winchester, there are others in the metro area. While some of the items are a bit pricy, others are priced just right. The quality of the product is unbelievable and almost everyone in Winchester area has at least one bush or tree from Mahoneys.
Unbeatable garden shop! They have the best variety and quality plants and products. People come to shop there from all over.
While I loved roaming around this place (it's HUGE), I couldn't find a single person to help me!! I seriously looked around FOREVER and couldn't ID anyone working there other than the cashiers and the one overwhelmed person at the information desk. I ended up asking someone else shopping there for help. I'll try them again for my fall planting and let you know how it goes...maybe everyone was on vacation?
Brighton, MA
Category: Nurseries & Gardening
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