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Mother Who Charges Over $1,000 For Halloween Pumpkin Displays Sparks Anger: “Ridiculous”
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Texas Mom Sells Pumpkins For Over $1,000 Every Halloween, Quadruples Her Viral Business

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People pay thousands of dollars or go on waiting lists to get their hands on some viral pumpkin decorations for Halloween. Heather Torres, from Texas, USA, has seen her festive adornment business quadruple in just four years. “Porch Pumpkins” has since become an internet sensation.

Porch Pumpkins is Heather’s flourishing porch-scaping business in which she designs and sets up elaborate pumpkin displays outside of people’s homes.

Highlights
  • Heather Torres' porch-scaping business quadruples in four years.
  • Porch Pumpkins' priciest package costs $1,350 with elaborate decor.
  • Porch Pumpkins is now an internet sensation with sold-out designs.

Appearing on The Koerner Office podcast with Chris Koerner on Wednesday (October 2), Heather reportedly explained how it all started when she saw her friends paying thousands of dollars to have Christmas decorations installed at their homes.

Since she already had experience decorating her own home with pumpkins each fall, Heather decided to take the leap in 2020 and launch her small business, People reported on Friday (October 4).

People pay thousands of dollars or go on waiting lists to get their hands on some viral pumpkin decorations for Halloween

Image credits: porchpumpkins

Image credits: porchpumpkins

“My first year in business I expected to design 30 porches, we did 250 in 2020,” Heather told People. “This year we will provide 1037 pumpkin displays to Porch Pumpkins clients in the Dallas Fort Worth area and Houston. We look forward to continuing our growth and will add Austin in 2026!”

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Heather has been a pumpkin enthusiast for over a decade, as she explained: “What inspired the [Porch Pumpkins] name is, I have been decorating with pumpkins for a long time.

“In 2013 when I stayed at home with my oldest son, he was a little seven-month-old, I went crazy with pumpkins.”

Heather Torres, from Texas, USA, has seen her festive adornment business quadruple in just four years

Image credits: porchpumpkins

The businesswoman continued: “I used to put them in my landscaping and what I learned is, if you put pumpkins in landscaping they will rot faster than if you put them on a porch. 

“I knew this because I’ve had years and years of decorating my home. So I knew that I wanted it to be very clear that we would be putting pumpkins on your porch so they will last longer.”

According to Porch Pumpkins’ official website, Heather’s spooky embellishments are currently sold out. As a result, those still desperate to get their hands on one of the decorative fruits need to go on a waitlist.

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“Porch Pumpkins” has since become an internet sensation

Image credits: porchpumpkins

Image credits: porchpumpkins

Heather’s most expensive package retails at $1,350 and includes two grand prize pumpkins, 10 large Jack-O Lanterns, eight medium Jack-O Lanterns, eight white ghost pumpkins, an assortment of pie pumpkins, 16 specialty pumpkins, mini orange pumpkins, mini white pumpkins, and three hay bales and ornamental gourds. 

Porch Pumpkins’ cheapest package costs $325 and includes four large Jack-O lanterns, four medium Jack-O lanterns, four white ghost pumpkins, an assortment of pie pumpkins, and six specialty pumpkins. 

In a viral video shared on her Instagram page on September 26, Heather was seen sprinting to a house to complete an order. 

Heather’s most expensive package retails at $1,350

Image credits: porchpumpkins

She reportedly explained to Chris Koerner that she did 21 designs out of the 50 orders they had that day all by herself. “That’s a $10,000 day,” the podcast host said, to which she agreed.

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Porch Pumpkins provides optional clean-up and removal services, with 65% to 70% of customers choosing this option around Thanksgiving

Heather ends up donating all of the pumpkins she gets back as food for farm animals, and the straw from the hay is donated to a local farm as well, People reported.

Pumpkins are used for Halloween decorations because of their historical connection to the Irish tradition of carving turnips into lanterns, which evolved into pumpkins after Irish immigrants in America found them more abundant and easier to carve. 

The practice, rooted in the legend of “Stingy Jack,” aimed to ward off evil spirits, according to Britannica. Pumpkins, being a symbol of harvest in autumn, naturally fit into the seasonal celebrations of Halloween. 

Meanwhile, Halloween is believed to originate from Samhain, a 2000-year-old Gaelic festival that is still observed by witches and pagans today.

Samhain originates from an ancient Celtic spiritual tradition and is celebrated from October 31 to November 1 to welcome in the harvest and usher in “the dark half of the year.” 

“They’re all so gorgeous and fun,” a reader commented

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Andréa Oldereide

Andréa Oldereide

Writer, BoredPanda staff

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I’m a journalist who works as Bored Panda’s News Team's Senior Writer. The news team produces stories focused on pop culture. Whenever I get the opportunity and the time, I investigate and produce my own exclusive stories, where I get to explore a wider range of topics. Some examples include: “Doberman Tobias the viral medical service dog” and “The lawyer who brought rare uterine cancer that affects 9/11 victims to light”. You've got a tip? email me: andrea.o@boredpanda.com

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Andréa Oldereide

Andréa Oldereide

Writer, BoredPanda staff

I’m a journalist who works as Bored Panda’s News Team's Senior Writer. The news team produces stories focused on pop culture. Whenever I get the opportunity and the time, I investigate and produce my own exclusive stories, where I get to explore a wider range of topics. Some examples include: “Doberman Tobias the viral medical service dog” and “The lawyer who brought rare uterine cancer that affects 9/11 victims to light”. You've got a tip? email me: andrea.o@boredpanda.com

Karina Babenok

Karina Babenok

Author, BoredPanda staff

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As a visual editor in the News team, I look for the most interesting pictures and comments to make each post interesting and informative through images, so that you aren't reading only blocks of text. I joined Bored Panda not that long ago, but in this short amount of time I have covered a wide range of topics: from true crime to Taylor Swift memes (my search history is very questionable because of that).In my freetime, I enjoy spending time at the gym, gaming, binging Great British Bake Off and adding yet another tattoo artist that I would love to get a tattoo from to my pinterest board.

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Karina Babenok

Karina Babenok

Author, BoredPanda staff

As a visual editor in the News team, I look for the most interesting pictures and comments to make each post interesting and informative through images, so that you aren't reading only blocks of text. I joined Bored Panda not that long ago, but in this short amount of time I have covered a wide range of topics: from true crime to Taylor Swift memes (my search history is very questionable because of that).In my freetime, I enjoy spending time at the gym, gaming, binging Great British Bake Off and adding yet another tattoo artist that I would love to get a tattoo from to my pinterest board.

What do you think ?
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Janissary35680
Community Member
Premium
1 month ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The world is full of people who have more money than brains. If you can monetize that fact, you're set for life. ,😄

UpupaEpops
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

While I do think it's a ridiculous amount of money, it's not my money. Plus isn't it so much prettier and better for the environment than all the plastic c**p sold on Amazon?

Zoe Vokes
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I agree. She’s not hurting anybody. If she lives in an area where people have millions on dollars and they can't be bothered to decorate themselves then it’s easy money for her. I would like to see her costings though, “$__ for hand selecting organically farmed, artisan pumpkins, grown from award winning seeds. __ hours carefully placing your pumpkins individually…”

Load More Replies...
Trillian
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's not an essential service, if you don't want it just don't book it?

Load More Comments
Janissary35680
Community Member
Premium
1 month ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The world is full of people who have more money than brains. If you can monetize that fact, you're set for life. ,😄

UpupaEpops
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

While I do think it's a ridiculous amount of money, it's not my money. Plus isn't it so much prettier and better for the environment than all the plastic c**p sold on Amazon?

Zoe Vokes
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I agree. She’s not hurting anybody. If she lives in an area where people have millions on dollars and they can't be bothered to decorate themselves then it’s easy money for her. I would like to see her costings though, “$__ for hand selecting organically farmed, artisan pumpkins, grown from award winning seeds. __ hours carefully placing your pumpkins individually…”

Load More Replies...
Trillian
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's not an essential service, if you don't want it just don't book it?

Load More Comments
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