PUMPKIN PATCHES LIKE OURS ARE STILL CARVING OUT TIME

After months of discussion, we decided as a team that Mr. Jack O’lanterns Pumpkin Patch would open this 2020 season amid the coronavirus pandemic. This year has thrown us all for a loop, not knowing what tomorrow will bring.

Weighing our options on whether or not to open this year was tough due to much uncertainty, although ultimately we were very confident with our decision to open. Not only are we business partners, but Brandon is also a father to 4-year-old twin boys. Nothing is more important than keeping people safe and allowing families to escape the challenges that the pandemic has brought with it.

This business is a part of our livelihood. The two of us met in 2011 when we were students at UC San Diego and San Diego State University. We became best friends right away and were roommates in Pacific Beach for three years. Scott’s family, originally from Colorado, was already in the Christmas tree lot business at the time. That’s how Scott was introduced to the seasonal business world. Between Brandon’s business connections in Los Angeles and Scott’s knowledge of the Christmas tree business, we decided to partner up and bring the concept to California, where we set up shops in San Diego and Los Angeles.

Through our friendship, we became entrepreneurs, and we absolutely love what we do. After five successful years of selling Christmas trees, we decided it was time to expand our seasonal business to include Halloween.

But this year brings new challenges. Currently, we have about 10 employees at our San Diego location. We’ve added extra staff due to the additional disinfecting of the pumpkin patch required this year, and we are doing about eight to 10 deliveries a day. We don’t know for sure that the pandemic has anything to do with the extra deliveries, but we notice there are more this year than last year.

We are open in La Jolla during the whole month of October and will follow all the San Diego County health guidelines to remain a safe place where our community can still enjoy some family fun. With our patch being outside, we are able to follow all COVID-19 regulations in place to ensure our staff and guests are safe and remain healthy. All Mr.

Jack O’lanterns’ team members and guests are required to wear masks, socially distance at all times and sanitize their hands before entering our patch. There are sanitizing stations throughout the pumpkin patch, and we have a designated on-site cleaning staff to sanitize thoroughly throughout the day. We also have team members whose jobs are to monitor social distancing, check on capacity limits and make sure everybody is wearing a mask that covers their noses and mouths.

For those who do not feel comfortable coming inside the patch, we are offering delivery and curbside pick-up as new options this year, along with the option for customers to order online.

We pride ourselves on bringing the fall spirit to warmer climates like San Diego and are hoping to keep the Halloween and autumn spirit alive even during the challenging times that the pandemic has brought to all of us. We are finding that customers are weary, and we often hear how nice and refreshing it is for parents to be able to spend some quality time with their children while outdoors.

This year we are delivering pumpkins, gourds, hay, corn stalks and plenty of other fall items to peoples’ homes and businesses. As some customers might not want to interact with people during this pandemic, people can decorate on their own if they choose. Additionally, for those who want us to do it, our teams can deliver all of the goods to a home or business and set up and break down the fall scenery.

As the old saying goes, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade — or make pumpkin pie from our pumpkins. Our passion is to spread joy during this festive season, especially during this trying time, and we are thrilled that we are able to play a small part. Although this Halloween may look a lot different, we are very excited that our pumpkin patch is still able to bring the Halloween spirit to families and friends in San Diego.

We officially opened on Saturday, Oct. 3, and will close up the patch on Oct. 31 and hope that next year our lives will be back to normal.