- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Peter D Barter Flowers & Colonial Gift Shop
Categories: Shopping Flowers & Gifts Florists Event Planning & Services Cards & Stationery Shopping Arts & Crafts Cards & Stationery Shopping Flowers & Gifts Cards & Stationery Florists, Cards & Stationery [Edit]
201 Derby StSalem, MA 01970
(978) 744-3144
- Nearest Transit:
-
Hawthorne Blvd @ Derby St (451)
Congress St @ Derby St (426/455, 455, 459)
Hawthorne Blvd @ Essex St (451)
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
Anne G. said: "Total Entertainment made my son's 3rd birthday party a huge hit. You just can't go wrong with a bounce house! They have the best selection you'll find (living in the city I had very specific measurements). It was a pleasure working…" read more »
7 reviews for Peter D Barter Flowers & Colonial Gift Shop
7 reviews in English
-
Review from Jeanne K.
Brighton, MA
9/16/2011
Peter is the absolute best when it comes to flower arrangements! Just like the previous reviewer, I know next to nothing about flowers or flower arrangements. In my discussions with Peter, I explained to him that I wanted blue and green hydrangeas as the inspiration for the flower arrangements for my wedding. I also had large Nantucket baskets that I wanted to use for the table centerpieces. Peter explained all the different types of flowers that would work well with hydrangeas and described his own vision of what the bouquets and table centerpieces should look like. I gave Peter complete authority over the selection of the flowers and was completely amazed by the fabulous job he did!
Peter delivered the bouquets, boutonnieres, and corsages himself to the hotel the morning of the wedding. Everything was labled as to avoid any confusion. His selection of flowers to complement the hygrandeas was impeccable. When I finally saw our centerpieces at the reception a few hours later, it was difficult to hold back tears. Peter is truly a master at his craft - the centerpieces were stunning!
Peter is a recommended wedding florist for both the Hawthorne Hotel and the Peabody Essex Museum and I can see why. He is a pleasure to work with and delivers above and beyond any expectations.
If you are not in the market for wedding flowers, Peter's store is a great place to browse. He has an unparalled selection of Colonial Williamsburg and Byer's Choice items, including the exclusive Byer's Choice Official Salem Witch. His wife and daughter work in the store with him and are wonderfully helpful. -
Review from Chris M.
Salem, MA
7/23/2008
Beautiful. In the unlikely event that I get married any time soon, I would absolutely use Peter D Barter for my flowers. (glaring at my SO as I write this) Kidding Kidding...
On to why. I typically run into the nearest florist and grab an arrangement in a hurry. On this particular occasion one of my dearest friends had lost a parent and I had no idea what would be appropriate to send to the house since they were not having an actual service. I came into Peter Barter's store and explained the situation. They asked for a little of my input, gave me advice and told me the flowers would be delivered the next morning per my request. When I stopped by my friend's home that next day I had the breath knocked out of me when I saw the arrangment that had been put together for her. Stunning. Amazing. The perfect sympathy arrangement. I can't really describe it, but I was moved. I would return any time I need flowers for a special occasion. (on a side note, I did pay with a credit card)Listed in: Lets do the local thaaang
-
Review from Lisa C.
Updated - 8/8/2010
There is zero room for disappointment here. Peter and his daughter, who helps him with large orders such as weddings, did an absolutely stunning job. The only direction I gave Peter was this: "I want to use mini mango calla lilies. I have no idea what goes with that, but that flower is my inspiration." He proceeded to give me a list of flowers and colors that would go well with it and I just told him, "No really, I know NOTHING about flowers...just make it look beautiful. I trust you." And then I walked away and didn't think about the flowers again for the duration of my engagement.
A few days before the wedding, I had to stop in to order some additional flowers as I'd changed my cake design and it now included some flowers from the order. They took it in stride as they ordered a little more than they needed and I saw that our order had just arrived. The colors were vibrant and beautiful - not just boring whites and creams like I see at most weddings.
I was not at the hotel when the bouquets were delivered, but I was totally overwhelmed when I saw them. They were bright, cheerful, stunning and beautifully wrapped. He'd remembered to add in the brooch my grandmother gave me years ago into my bouquet and for the price we paid for them, they were all a great size.
The displays he provided for our ceremony were tremendous and really anchored our altar space. Afterward, we had them moved near our sweetheart table and they provided a little privacy, as though we were having dinner in a garden. It was beautiful!
A friend who works for a florist in Manhattan reviewed the order with Peter and me a few months before the wedding and told me that this order in her shop would cost $10,000. For flowers. Peter charged a fraction, a very tiny fraction, of that, and the results were astounding.1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
1/23/2010
I met with Mr. and Mrs. Barter this afternoon to discuss my upcoming wedding and I was thrilled with… Read more »
-
-
Review from Andrea M.
Lynn, MA
6/11/2008 8 photos
We used Peter Barter for my sister's wedding and I can honestly say I've never seen anything more beautiful. My mother had used his services before so my sister went there on her recommendation. Her bouquets were made primarily of peonies and were mainly white with little blue flower accents. Her bouquet and my maid-of-honor bouquet also had touches of pink at my sister's request.
On the day of the wedding Peter delivered the flowers himself which was really nice. He's such a sweet old man and he put so much detail and care into everything. He even took the time to scatter little flower petals over everyone's napkins on the dinner tables at the reception hall. It's hard to tell someone how amazing a florist is without photos, so when the photographer posts my sister's wedding photos I'll be sure to add a few here so you can see an example of his work.
I'd highly recommend this place for a wedding or formal event. -
Review from Mellie P.
Lemon Grove, CA
8/17/2009
The other reviews convince me even more that my experience was a personal attack based on my order, as explained below. The Barters were unprofessional and took no responsibility until I threatened a lawsuit.
Peter Barter was contracted to do my arrangements at The Hawthorne, who raved about him. My contract stated that my flowers were to be primary colors ONLY, but I wanted to meet with Peter to ensure he understood this, & to pick my flowers from his book.
Good thing I arranged a meeting! Mrs. Barter explained that my wedding package did NOT include bouquets (my oversight), leaving me with 2 weeks to order them. With Peter out of town, I drove from Haverhill to Salem in rush hour traffic to meet with Mrs. Barter personally. I selected my flowers, ADAMANTLY reiterating NO white or pink flowers were to be used. I said this IN PERSON, about 20 times, because vendors sometimes ignore you. Mrs Barter FULLY agreed, writing "no white or pink." on the order.
I ordered a lot of RO$E$, but my aunt later convinced me to trim them down (money was tight, she could get cheaper boutonnieres), so I did. HUGE MISTAKE!!
Mrs. Barter was *annoyed* that I trimmed the order (even though I was still paying an unexpected $1,000 + the cost of the hotel arrangements) and rushed me off the phone. Rude! I should have gone elsewhere, because despite "no white or pink" being in WRITING/IN THE CONTRACT, I arrived on my wedding day to see my crimson-clad bridesmaids holding primary colored bouquets containing TACKY PINK AND WHITE flowers, as did the table arrangements! I had no choice but to use those hideous, unmatching flowers, there was no time to change them. Also, the roses in my bouquet were falling right out during the ceremony & picture shoot, though I held it gently & never touched the flowers. How cheap!
This was petty revenge and blatant breach of contract. She and I sat for over an hour together ordering these flowers, she knew exactly what I didn't want. Instead being a happy bride, I seethed "I told her no pink and no white! Why would she do that!?" It was so mean to ruin someones wedding day over a few bucks! I didn't trim my order to *hurt* them!
Sorry I was poor, lady, but I expected what I *paid* & *contracted* for. Good luck to anyone who dares to save money by trimming their order at this shop!
Assuming this was malicious, their response *confirmed* it. Before ever complaining, they avoided my calls. They'd ask my name, & I'd hear muffled voices and was told (at all hours) "she's busy". WHY would they avoid me if they were confident in their service? When I finally reached Mr. Barter, he pleaded ignorance, as if he didn't *have* to READ THE ORDER & HAWTHORNE CONTRACT to arrange my flowers! He deferred me to Mrs. Barter. Upon finally reaching her, she didn't sound surprised or embarassed at her mistake, and wasn't apologetic at all. She just said she doesn't usually take the orders so she "must have done it wrong". No, she did it right, because she wrote it all down. She simply sabotaged my wedding to spite me.
I told her my weddng/photos were ruined because of those mismatched flowers. I reminded her that my preferences were obnoxiously clear, I saw her write it down, & it's in the contract. I asked for a copy of my order, (which she wasn't looking at while on the phone w/me) but she said "I can't, because we revised it, so it's a mess now", keenly remembering *that* detail of the MONTH OLD order! I think she meant to say "I don't want you to see that I crossed out your specification to spite you, haw haw haw!" That revision was irrelevant. It:
1. didn't change the NO PINK or WHITE specification WRITTEN on the order/in the hotel contract
2. didn't stop them from providing the flowers I DID want,
3. didn't keep them from getting PAID
4. Had no bearing on anything but the final sale price.
Refusing me a copy made her motives evident. She eventually apologised, exasperated- as if I did something to *her* by being upset , then said "I don't know what you want me to do, the wedding's over isn't it?" Wow!! So if it's in the past, she's not responsible and it wasn't wrong? I said I want my money back because she didn't provide what I paid for. She refused. "I'll see you in court then" I said, reminding her "there's a contract, & a verbal agreement even if the order conveniently disapears". She offered to refund 20% of the cost of the bouquets (still a waste of $775, not including cost of the arrangements). I took it to avoid litigation, but I could have sued for thousands and won.
It's very crass, cruel and unprofessional to dismiss ruining someones wedding. I resent that my memory of entering that hotel was the rage of being given exactly what I did NOT WANT. I never even ordered my photos because I hate those flowers. Meeting with the florist gaurentees nothing. People are heartless, and would rather ruin your memories over a buck than demonstrate any class. -
Review from Jane B.
Stoneham, MA
5/3/2007
Met with Peter for a consultation. He's experienced and knows his stuff - heck he should after doing it for decades! I didn't have to show any pictures to get what I wanted across to him. He just understood (I hope!). So we decided to go with him. Plus he's the florist for the Hawthrone and will be doing the center pieces for the tables that is part of the package deal we got there so, to simplify things I thought it made sense to use him if he was good. I mean, who the hell wants another vendor to have to deal with, considering the numbers of them already? ;)
Listed in: Tying the knot
-
Review from Melissa M.
Salem, MA
8/22/2007
I also went with Peter Barter for wedding flowers after being referred through the Hawthorne Hotel. He was able to take our vision for the event and turn it into a science and an art. Just by bringing in pictures and colors he created this whole awesome scene that fit just what we were looking for. We found Peter to be really easy to talk to and work with...when his first estimate came in a bit high for our budget he worked with us to substitute things and make it work. Everything turned out really beautiful and the consistency between having him do the centerpieces (included in the Hawthorne package) and all the other flowers was really important in my mind.
My only complaint is that they were a little unorganized and particular about payments. No wedding payments (deposit or final) can be put on credit card which doesn't make ANY sense. (Weddings are really expensive, sometimes things need to go on credit cards!) When I brought in the deposit check, his wife tried to charge me tax and then seemed confused when I asked why so she voided it out and rang the sale through "another way." Also, they don't do contracts so we didn't know we owed them the final payment 7 days before the wedding until they called and said to bring it over... this was the only party of the interaction that seemed a bit abrupt/unclear.
