Support Local Florists | Ward’s Florist Beverly MA
🌸 Keep Local Blooming: Why Supporting Family-Run Florists Like Ward’s Keeps Our Communities Alive
Looking for a real local florist on the North Shore and wondering whether to order online or call the shop directly? This guide from Ward’s Florist & Greenhouse in Beverly, MA explains the difference between true family-owned flower shops and national order-gatherer websites like 1-800-Flowers and Ava’s Flowers, and how to make sure your flower order supports local businesses instead of middlemen.
Want to skip the middleman and support a real local florist?
Order directly from Ward’s Florist for same-day flower delivery across the North Shore — no hidden service fees, no call centers, just real people designing real flowers.
Walk down Cabot Street in Beverly, MA, and you’ll still find a flower shop that feels like home — Ward’s Florist & Greenhouse.
For more than 50 years, Ward’s Florist has been a fixture of the North Shore community, designing flowers for life’s biggest and most heartfelt moments — from prom corsages and wedding bouquets to hospital visits and memorial tributes.
Founded by Greg and Debbie Ward, high school sweethearts who turned their love of flowers and people into a lifelong business, Ward’s Florist remains family-run to this day. Greg and Debbie still work side by side and their daughter Kim handles the day-to-day operations of the shop.
During the busiest holidays — Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Christmas — their other children, Sean, Parker, and Paige, all come back to the shop to lend a hand. Even the grandchildren are part of the action, keeping alive the spirit of a true, multi-generation family business.
Ward’s Florist isn’t just a flower shop. It’s a family, a story, and a vital part of Beverly’s community roots.
💔 The Vanishing Mom-and-Pop Florist
Across America, local flower shops like ours are disappearing.
The biggest reason? National “order-gatherer” websites that look like local florists — but aren’t. These large, third-party companies (such as 1-800-Flowers, Ava’s Flowers, Teleflora, and Ruth's Roses) advertise under local phrases like “Florist in Danvers” or “Funeral Flowers in Salem” — yet they have no storefront, no designers, and no connection to your town.
They take your order, keep 20–40% in hidden fees, and send the rest to an actual florist (like us) to fill at a loss. The result? Smaller bouquets, cheaper substitutions, and disappointed customers who never realize the problem wasn’t the florist — it was the middleman.
Each year, this practice quietly drives hundreds of real family-owned flower shops out of business.
“When you order from a national wire service, you’re paying a middleman, not a florist.”
— The Hidden Cost of Order Gatherers: Why Buying Flowers Local Matters
🌷 What Makes Ward’s Florist Different
Ward’s Florist is not an 800-number or a national call center. We are a local family, designing and delivering every arrangement right here on the North Shore of Massachusetts.
From our shop at 53 Cabot Street in Beverly, we offer:
- 💐 Handcrafted designs for birthdays, anniversaries, new babies, and “just because” moments
- 🕊️ Sympathy and funeral flowers, delivered daily to Campbell, O’Donnell, and Conway Cahill Brodeur Funeral Homes
- 💒 Wedding and event florals across Beverly, Danvers, Peabody, Salem, Marblehead, and nearby towns
- 💚 Get-well and hospital flowers delivered to Beverly Hospital, Addison Gilbert Hospital, and Lahey Medical Center Peabody
When you call us, you’ll talk to someone who actually lives in your community — many times Kim, Greg, or Debbie Ward will answer the phone — not a customer service rep halfway across the country or possibly in another country.
If you’d like to see all of the areas we serve, you can explore our North Shore flower delivery page for details.
🕊️ Funeral Home Links and Hidden Traps
Many people don’t realize that when they click “Send Flowers” on a funeral home website, they’re often being redirected to an order-gatherer — not a local florist.
That means part of their payment goes to a third-party broker, and the florist receives less to work with. This often leads to smaller arrangements or missing personalization — and leaves the customer wondering what happened.
Ordering directly from Ward’s Florist means your entire payment goes toward your flowers, and we coordinate personally with funeral directors to make sure your order is perfect.
“If you ordered from an order gatherer, you might as well go straight to the local florist.”
— Reddit Florists Discussion
To send flowers directly through a real North Shore florist, you can always start on our Funeral & Sympathy Flowers page.
🌼 How to Tell a Real Local Florist
- Look for a street address — Ward’s Florist is proudly located at 53 Cabot Street, Beverly MA and has been for over 54 years.
- Call the number — 978-922-0032 connects directly to our shop.
- Check Google Maps — see photos of our real storefront, staff, and arrangements.
- Avoid sites with vague ownership or “service fees.”
- Ask who’s designing your flowers — real local florists will tell you by name.
For more insights, read How Order Gatherers Trick You on Local Flower Delivery.
🌻 Why Supporting Local Keeps the North Shore Blooming
Every time you order from Ward’s Florist, you’re keeping local jobs, local creativity, and local kindness alive.
- We employ local drivers, designers, and seasonal staff
- We support school fundraisers and neighborhood nonprofits
- We sponsor Beverly Homecoming Days and local community events
Our flowers have been part of North Shore life for generations — from delivering hospital bouquets to decorating wedding venues and memorial services. When you order from us, your money stays in the community and helps it grow.
🌹 The Power of Human Connection
In an age of screens and “Add to Cart” buttons, it’s easy to lose the warmth of human interaction. But at Ward’s Florist, we still believe in conversations, handshakes, and the personal touch.
When you walk into our shop, you’ll be greeted by someone who remembers your name and your story. That’s the beauty of local business — real people, making real things, for real connections.
So next time you want to send flowers in Beverly, Danvers, Peabody, Salem, or anywhere on the North Shore, skip the order gatherers. Call or order directly from Ward’s Florist & Greenhouse — where every bouquet helps your neighbors bloom, too.
💐 Shop Local, Send Flowers Today
Ready to order directly from your trusted North Shore florist? Explore our handcrafted collections below and enjoy same-day delivery across the North Shore.
- 🌸 Funeral & Sympathy Flowers
- 🎂 Birthday Bouquets
- 💍 Wedding & Event Flowers (call us at 978-922-0032 to schedule a consultation)
FAQ: Ordering from a Real Local Florist
What is a flower order-gatherer?
A flower order-gatherer is a national company or website that looks like a local florist but is actually a middleman. They take your order, keep a large service fee, and send the remaining amount to a nearby florist to fill. That usually means fewer flowers and a smaller arrangement than you expected.
How can I tell if a florist is really local?
Look for a real street address, a local phone number, and photos of an actual storefront and staff. You can also search the business name on Google Maps to confirm it’s a real shop. Ward’s Florist has served the North Shore from our location at 53 Cabot Street in Beverly, MA for over five decades.
Why were the flowers I ordered online smaller than the picture?
When a middleman keeps part of your money in fees, the florist receives less and has to design a smaller arrangement. When you order directly from Ward’s Florist, your full payment goes into your flowers and service, so you get the size and quality you’re expecting.
How do I make sure my flower order supports a local florist?
The simplest way is to go directly to the florist’s website or call their shop. For North Shore deliveries, you can always start at wardsflorist.com and choose the occasion you need — Birthday, Funeral & Sympathy, or everyday “just because” flowers.
📍 Visit Ward’s Florist in Beverly, MA
Stop by our flower shop located in downtown Beverly at 53 Cabot Street — near the famous Cabot Theatre. Use the map below for directions!
