Pumpkins Attract Customers to Manchester Businesses

A 2011 survey found that people are planning to spend a little more this Halloween on decorations, candy and costumes--an average of $72, up from $66 last year. Total Halloween spending is expected to reach $6.86 billion.

The survey said that nearly half of all Americans are planning on carving a pumpkin this Halloween. Manchester residents won’t have to go far to find the perfect pumpkin this year, as several and charities have pumpkins for sale.

“We don’t have a ball team this year, but we donate to local youth,” said Ed Morton, a Lafayette Optimist Club member volunteering at a pumpkin patch located in the parking lot on Manchester Road. He said that the group does the pumpkin sale as one of their biggest fundraisers of the year. Goedeker’s has donated the use of their parking lot to the Lafayette Optimists.

The patch will be open from 10am to dusk this week, then after Friday they’ll be open until 9pm.

“The little ones are a dollar. A lot of teachers get them for school—we give them a discount,” Morton said.  All other pumpkins are sold by weight, with prices marked on the pumpkins.  Morton said a youth group from St. John’s United Church of Christ helped to unload and weigh the pumpkins. The Optimists will donate money raised from the sale to the youth group after the pumpkins are sold.

“We have lots of people who come back, they want to keep their money in the community,” he said.

Just east of the Optimists is The Fruit Stand, a seasonal produce stand in the parking lot of the Wonder/Hostess Thrift Shop. The stand is run by Lorrin Charboneau and Keith Rapp. Rapp said his family is in the fruit stand business and he’s been running this location for five years.

The Fruit Stand is open Friday to Sunday, from 8:30 am to 6pm. They have a variety of locally grown pumpkins, mini pumpkins, gourds and squash, along with a their normal selection of seasonal fruits and vegetables.

“Anything that can be local is as local as possible,” said Rapp. He said his pumpkins are from Keeny, IL.

Rapp leases his space from IBC, which owns the Hostess/Wonder Thrift Shop. He said the bakery charges him a small fee, which he supplements by keeping the grass mowed and helping with the cost of the dumpster.

“We help each other out. This shop was going to close four years ago,” Rapp said. He said that his produce stand started attracting more customers to the Wonder store, which improved its sales. They work together when they can, like during strawberry season. Rapp posted a sign reminding customers to get the shortcakes from the Wonder store, and in return Wonder reminded customers to pick up fresh berries just outside.

“They sold 20-30 boxes of shortcakes, when they’d normally only sell two or three,” Rapp said.

On the other side of Highway 141 is Chalily Ponds and Gardens, which

Joe Summer, owner of Chalily, said that he’s getting into a slow period for his garden shop, so he’s added pumpkins as a way to attract customers to visit his shop. He wanted to find locally grown pumpkins, but had a hard time locating a source. He said he was finally able to find a vendor at downtown St. Louis’ produce row, which supplied him with pumpkins from Indiana.

Pumpkins at Chalily are priced by size, with small ones going for $3.75 and the largest ones priced at $12.

On the Horizon:

• Manchester’s Chalily Ponds and Garden will open a holiday gift store at West County Mall in November.
• The Changing World of CIOs is a breakfast seminar held on November 3 at the Living World at Saint Louis Zoo, starting at 7:30am. The event is free but RSVPs are required. Sponsored by the St. Louis Business Journal.
• The West County Chamber of Commerce will have a monthly New Member Orientation and breakfast on November 3 at 7:30am at McAlister's Deli on 14848 Manchester Road. The event is for new chamber members to learn how get the most out of their membership.