For as much as $1,450, a new local business specializing in “premium pumpkin delivery” is offering decorating jobs to porches in Arlington this season.
The Porch Parade aims to bring “effortless, discreet, and exclusive pumpkin displays” to D.C.-area porches. Andrea Samuelson, a former federal worker, co-founded the business with friend Anusha Seneviratne after their jobs were cut earlier this year.
Samuelson said The Porch Parade’s extravagance draws inspiration from her family’s home in Arlington, Texas.
“They go all-out for everything. Their porches are always decorated, even if there’s no holiday,” Samuelson told ARLnow. “I read about these companies in Texas that were doing this, and I was like, ‘oh my God … we could do the exact same thing.'”
The Porch Parade offers four different design “packages” intended to suit different porch sizes. The smallest package, “The Cozy Porch,” runs at $550 for 18 pumpkins of varying colors and sizes.
Prices are steep, but the business has found customers. The entrepreneurial duo has picked up support from residents in McLean, where Samuelson lives, as well as from former colleagues.
Each order comes with delivery, designing services and removal. Pumpkins are sourced from D.C.-area farms including Butler’s Orchard, Miller Farms and Gaver Farm in Maryland, and deliveries are available starting this month.
The duo will also roll out gift baskets with seasonal produce starting next week.
Samuelson worked in public service for 16 years. Alongside Seneviratne, who lives in Bethesda, she most recently served as a senior advisor for the Office of Undersecretary for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights.
The duo spent the past two months on administrative leave before their recent termination.
“That moment, while difficult, opened the door to a new chapter — one filled with joy, creativity, and pumpkins,” Seneviratne, who spent nearly 20 years in the public sector, said.
The Porch Parade is not the only local group offering pumpkin deliveries or styling this fall. Similar small businesses include the Vienna-based NOVA Pumpkins, whose displays start at $250.
