East End Garden & Hardware
1395 Queen St E
Toronto, ON
M4L 1C7
(416) 469-4925
Rating:
2½ out of 5 stars
(
4 reviews)
Description
The Garden Centre for Downtowners If you live downtown and you don’t want to fight the crowds at a large suburban garden centre, East End Garden & Hardware Centre may be just what you’re looking for. Just don’t let the small storefront fool you; this place is huge. Nestled in the heart of hip Leslieville, East End has everything you need to liven up your home and garden. For the...
by yellowpagesca
on August 04, 2009 from yellowpagesca
Reviews
Garden of Earthly Delights: East End Garden Centre is a family owned and run business. Judy is an experienced Master Gardener and general manager of the landscaping business and store, and her sisters, Nancy and Kathy take care of the plants, go to market at 3 am every two days or so, and do their best to help customers, manage employees, and keep the plants alive and presentable in the span of what often becomes a 12 hour shift 7 days a week during the busy season. The store provides printed information about all kinds of plants, soils, diseases, insects, methods for planting, and landscaping, so that if customers have not bothered to research their desires or dilemmas on Google, the information is provided in printed material at the store through pamphlets, posters, and a slew of garden books on a shelf by the cash registers. <br/><br/>Granted, during the busy season employees can be tired and over-worked and not be able to provide the personal service comfortable Torontonians are accustomed to by bigger box retailers who have many more employees to cover all facets of service, but East End does go out of its way to help when circumstances and patient customers prevail, by telephone or in person. The employees are not phoney or constrained by a script that other retailers impose upon their employees. The attitude is sometimes archaic but real and well-meaning towards customers, and employees won't beat about the bush or cow-tow to customers who behave in a disrespectful manner for not getting exactly what they want, when they want it. Respect is key to getting good service, going both ways. <br/><br/>At high season, from mid-April until the end of May the selection of flowering plants is abundant and immaculate. It's a veritable Garden of Earthly Delights, healthy seasonal plants direct from Ontario growers, at perhaps slightly higher prices than big box retailers (whose speciality are not plants and can thus afford to drop prices), but still quite reasonable for the market. As high season tapers off into early and mid-summer, selection is still very good and changes with new varieties of plants, grasses, and shrubs arriving every few days. Autumn follows the dog-days of summer with seasonal varieties, including firewood and hay stacks, and the with the arrival of winter, this year-round garden centre decks the front and back yards with fine fresh holiday garlands, trees, and decorations.<br/><br/>I love this place. It's a Mecca of beauty and a smorgasbord of real people with a love for plants and community in the east-end part of downtown Toronto's pseudo cosmopolitan facade. I appreciate the staff effort, the service, the dependability, and the atmosphere. <br/><br/>Who else among other business would go out of there way to order a single Annabelle White Hydrangea for one individual customer?<br/><br/>East End Garden Centre is like no place I've ever seen, and doubt I ever will, should they depart. Good work and let's keep them alive!
Rated 5 stars by Avant-Gardener
on June 13, 2013
Not Recommended - Awful Service: The service here is awful. The staff is rude and don't care if you buy or not.<br/><br/>There is also a very mean cat there that attacks people and dogs.<br/><br/>Don't waste your time or money here!!!
Rated 1 stars by Mary P
on September 09, 2010
Very rude people work here!: I refuse to shop at this location anymore. My wife and I live right around the corner from East End Garden's and we both refuse to spend ANYMORE MONEY HERE ! The owners are rude, the staff acts disinterested and offer no help at all. I know we are not alone in feeling this way as i have talked to several people in the area who feel the same way.<br/><br/>DO NOT SPEND YOUR MONEY HERE!
Rated 1 stars by Lacam
on May 21, 2010