Mellano & Company

If I could give this place –10 I would. I would very much want to give them another try, but one thing that left a bad taste in my mouth was the customer service. :(I have never placed an order with this company before. On the day of pickup, my partner and I picked out an order in the refrigerator and went to check out. The cashier had my name on file and proceeded to process the arrangements. However, she did not state that she added the original order along with the arrangements (that we thought we had to physically get). She charged us 3x the amount. In hindsight, I could have stated the original amount of the pre-​order and moved on with the miscommunication. My partner caught the error and explained that we just wanted our pre-​order. The cashier was so upset and mad that she had to re-​check us out again. I get that it was a misunderstanding, but I did not appreciate her unprofessional demeanor. She scoffed, rolled her eyes, and literally blamed us for the mistake. Her attitude was very off putting. I know that Mellano has a great selection, especially for placing orders on seasonal flowers, but the customer service that I received, definitely makes me think twice.

I get all of my floral needs met at Mellano. They have an amazing staff and great selections. Anytime I have last minute orders I know I can count on them to fullfill my requests promptly and accurately.

So here is the thing. I purchased about 40 dozens of roses — imported; from Mellano because they said they could GUARANTEE the shipment.
The day before my pick up, I called Kathy — she was nice, she said everything looked good. On the morning of, she told me that about 14 dozens were destroyed in the transportation. She substitued several others — they were not the same. I wanted this particular flower due to the size and coloring.
I had to scramble and go across the street to figure out if any of the vendor had anything close to the type of rose. I ended up buying the other 12 dozens from across the street. so much for the GUARANTEE. DON’T be FOOLED.
Bottom line is, I came home and started to de-​thorn the flowers, and noticed that the heads of the roses were limp and snapped off. Some of the petals had been damaged at the base and as soon as I touched it, the petals would fall off. It was not obvious to the eyes until you start peeling back. I lost about 4 dozens of the flowers that I brought home. These were the ones that Mellano company had said they were good enough to sell to me and that they would NOT sell me the others due to their poor conditions. hmmmm, if this was good, I wonder how bad the others werer. So I left a message to Kathy, the next day. I used what I had for the wedding arrangment.
I called Kathy the following week to discuss the 4 dozens of roses. She said she would reimburse me or give me credit. I thought that this would be nice. She also said she would talk to her boss «BOB». Well neither of that happened. I tried to call BOB and he said he would call back, which he never did, btw, Kathy went on vacation so he could not confirm my story. He also mentioned that Kathy never mentioned this issue to him, he also stated that she may be avoiding it.
So much for the GUARANTEE service; I not only had to pay more for flower replacement, but found additional 4 dozen to be bad which I am still trying to get compensated. btw, it has been 3 weeks since the incident, and they now tell me they wanted to see the broken petals and flowers. It was obvious that quite a few were destroyed during the shipment, why do they not believe that there were additional ones that were also destroyed after I opened it.
I have another wedding to do next month, I WILL NOT ORDER FROM THEM AGAIN. Becareful to those who are doing floral arrangements for their sons/daughters’s wedding. You can’t count on these folks.

My first time visiting the Flower District, and I choose the Friday before Mother’s Day. Chaos. However, the atmosphere in Mellano was busy, yet not overcrowded, the employees were professional, and I was able to find what I needed, pay, and leave in less than 45 minutes. It was fun too!
I decided to put a personal touch on gifts for my mom and grandma this year, and be a smart shopper at the same time. I guess MANY other people had the same idea. Because of the $ 2 entry fee and I wasn’t planning on staying long, I bypassed the LA Flower Market and tried Mellano, which is basically next door. In the front, they have succulents, potted plants, and hanging plants. There is also a stand to the side where you can buy very reasonably priced vases, display pieces, and other decorations for your flowers. Then you walk into the huge refrigerated room… and there are gorgeous flowers EVERYWHERE. Most are still in the bud stage, so they won’t die right away. You can find all colors and types, then be sure to pick up your filler greens or whatever towards the back of the room. The only negative was that it was hard to find labels on some things, and you’d have to compare the label to a paper price sheet, which is very long. I kind of gave up and just picked 4 bunches of pretty flowers, then a filler bunch. At the vase stand, I found two simple yet nice vases for only $ 2.75 apiece! The guy even insisted on wrapping them up, individually, for me while I paid. It was also convenient that you could pay for everything at the same register. I won’t give the exact total for my entire purchase, but it was still less than what you might pay for ONE bouquet and vase from a florist– such a deal! Then I had the pleasure of turning everything into lovely arrangements for my mom and grandma. I’m pretty proud of my creations, and I think anyone who loves flowers or gardening would enjoy making their own arrangements. I will definitely be returning to Mellano in the future, for flowers as well as decorative plants and succulents.
A few tips:
*Parking is available in lots (if you plan on staying for hours) or at meters. Because of the crowds, I parked on 6^th and walked over. FYI– scary. I figured I would be okay in broad daylight, with lots of witnesses driving by, and cops around. Still, closer would be better.
*Mellano takes cards, but cash is always good, especially if you are stopping at any of the other shops.
*If you are going on a day near a holiday, you should probably aim for the crack of dawn. Less people, the freshest selection, and easier parking– enough said.