Located in Paso Robles, River "K" Pumpkin Patch & Corn Maze is a family-owned farm with a commitment to the local community. Their local ties have kept customers coming back for decades.
Pumpkin grower Val Reynolds explains how their customer-first focus has impacted business.
"We don’t sell wholesale. We don’t sell large quantities. We’re here for the little kids. We’re here for the little families,” Reynolds said. "I think people in Paso Robles and North County area are really conscientious of helping the locals."
The owner's focus on the customer has managed to keep customers coming back — not just year to year, but generation to generation. Grandfather and San Miguel resident David Fowler said he took his son to River "K" and now enjoys the same tradition with his granddaughter.
"You can buy a pumpkin anywhere, any store, but you don’t get the experience like you get when you come out here," Fowler said, "You buy a pumpkin at the store and you’re just buying it out of a bin, you know. Everybody’s just walking by and that’s it. You get your pumpkin, that looks good, that’s fine. You get to come out here, look at all the stuff, all the decorations, the haunted house, the corn maze, and probably 5,000 pumpkins to choose from!"
Reynolds explained that prices at a local pumpkin patch tend to be higher due to the operational costs associated with running a farm.
"The price of electricity to run the well to pump the water — that has gotten extremely expensive, so you know we might have raised it 50 cents, 75 cents but not so much that people have even noticed," Reynolds said.
Even so, Fowler said the higher prices are worth it when considering the invaluable time he can spend with his family.
"You’re getting more than a pumpkin here. You know that’s what you’re paying for. So you know, if you look at it that way, how many moments do you get with your grandkids? What is that worth to you? It’s worth an extra couple dollars for a pumpkin to me," Fowler said.
