Orchid Exchange

I wanted to get an orchid delivered for my husband. It says on the website that you have to order by 11 am to have it delivered that same day. So I called at 4 pm on Tuesday for a delivery on Wednesday. It was sort of a paging system, so i left my number.
By 5 pm no one called me back so I tried again and left a voice mail saying I wanted to make an order for delivery for the next day. It is now Wednesday at 11 am (cut off time according to their website) and no one has called me back. Terrible. In total I have called four times since yesterday and no one has answered the phone. I guess I need to find another option.
A terrible way to run a business.

This place has a serious branding problem. I’ve lived within walking distance of it for 3+ years and always assumed it was some awful play on ‘Armani Exchange’, a ridiculous store front with a ridiculous premise (a whole store for orchids??) run by a Pearly housewife with nothing better to do.
I couldn’t have been further from the truth. Recently the GF and I were on the hunt for an orchid for the apartment and were generally displeased with the quality and prices we found at the local supermarkets. We begrudgingly gave this place a shot as a last ditch effort, and what a surprise!
The presumed owner was a pleasure to speak with… He knew a lot about orchids and spent probably 25 minutes talking to us about their care and maintenance. The opposite of snobbery. Best of all, the prices were actually LESS than what we saw for lesser plants at the supermarket.
And, much to my surprise, the name actually MEANS something. Yes, they will ‘exchange’ your orchid for a new one when it stops blooming and give you a 15% discount on the new one.
Perhaps I shouldn’t be so quick to judge a store by its front, but I still say their image should be revamped to match the actual experience.

I am from California and stopped here after eating breakfast at ByWays café (which was DELICIOUS).
I was walking by with my father and saw an eyecatching orchid art print in the window that I instantly fell in love with.
They weren’t open for another 45 minutes, but I hand signaled the owner (?) and he let us in!
I love that little boutique and will stop there everytime I’m nearby.

I called through my company to order a unique orchid for a business contact and they did an excellent job of telling me exactly what they had in mind, and they also honored our special request without blinking an eye. They didn’t charge for delivery in our downtown area, and the customer service was top-​notch. I highly recommend their services and will be using them again in the future.

I’ll admit, I never bought anything form this store. This is mostly due to circumstance when I’m nearby.
I will say that their prices seem reasonable enough. They carry a much wider selection than the nurseries (and of course wider selection than groceries which carry orchids). Naturally, the more uncommon the orchid, or more difficult to care for, the more expensive. Though, they do sell a wide variety of Phalaenopsis genus, which are easy to maintain.
Orchids are an amazing niche plant. If you’re interest has been piqued by all the intrigue surrounding this plant, do visit O|X. Their showcases will give you good ideas about how to combine one of the most interesting plants with other elements of your household, your life.

Dramatically-​lit and self-​important, Orchid Exchange is a plant store that only sells orchids, the most expensive, sought-​after, and mysterious of flowers. I was compelled to check out the Orchid Exchange after reading Susan Orlean’s orchid-​oriented non-​fiction bestseller The Orchid Theif. Sure enough, these flowers are beautiful and striking. But who would pay that much for a flower?