Mother Who Charges Over $1,000 For Halloween Pumpkin Displays Sparks Anger: “Ridiculous”

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.

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!”

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

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Porch Pumpkins (@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.

“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.

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.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Porch Pumpkins (@porchpumpkins)

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

Poll Question

Total votes ·

Thanks! Check out the results:

Total votes ·

Newsletter

Subscribe to Access
Exclusive Polls

Subscribe

By entering your email and clicking Subscribe, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Privacy Policy.

Thank you! You've successfully subscribed to newsletters!

Anyone can write on Bored Panda. Start writing!

Follow Bored Panda on Google News!

Follow us on Flipboard.com/@boredpanda!