For decades, cars filled with parents and children in
search of Halloween pumpkins have streamed out U.S. 30 to Sauvie Island.
And one island farm has dominated the business:
the Pumpkin Patch, run
by the Egger family since 1971.
The farm on Northwest
Gillihan Road draws thousands on sunny October weekends. Other Sauvie
Island farmers haven’t been able to match the success of the Eggers’
business.
But
now there’s a war on the island over a copycat pumpkin interloper who
locals say has used unethical tactics to steal the Eggers’ customers.
The feud involves the
county sheriff, reports of theft and vandalism, obscenities shouted
from cars, and one of the new business’s managers admitting he tore down
signs to the Eggers’ patch.
The new business, the
Portland Pumpkin Farm at Bella Organic, is owned by Mike Hashem. It’s
been accused of stopping cars on their way to the Pumpkin Patch and
diverting customers with free passes to its corn maze.
“His tactics are low level,” said Don Kruger, owner of a neighboring farm. “If he was doing that to me, I’d be outraged.”
Hashem says he’s
doing nothing wrong. “[The Eggers’] lot has been full,” he says. “That
proves there’s a need for another farm.”
His son-in-law
dismisses complaints about the Portland Pumpkin Farm making itself look
like the Pumpkin Patch. “They have pumpkins, we have pumpkins,” says
Johnny Kondilis. “They have hay rides, we have hay rides.”
The Multnomah County
Sheriff’s Office got a call Oct. 8 from the Eggers complaining a Bella
employee was waving a stop sign on Gillihan Road. A Pumpkin Patch
employee took photos.
A sheriff’s report
says Hashem swore at the Pumpkin Patch employee and said he was going to
“bury him on the property.” Hashem tells WW he thought the employee’s camera was a gun and admits he had “some choice words” for him.
Hashem has already
caused controversy on the insular island over plans to turn Big Island
Marina into a wedding venue that locals feared would increase traffic
congestion.
He says he’s had a truck stolen and seen his farm’s signs vandalized since the pumpkin controversy started this month.
The
Eggers, who are still doing big business this year, say they were once
close to Hashem—even going on a family vacation together—and are
surprised by the way he’s competing with them.
Some
locals are yelling and flipping off Hashem’s employees as they drive
by—something the Pumpkin Patch’s Bob Egger doesn’t condone. “He started
a business that puts a public face on his farm, giving people something
to yell at,” he says.
“We’re patrolling
regularly to keep the peace,” says Capt. Jason Gates of the sheriff’s
office, which is paying deputies overtime to deal with the situation.
“They need to work it out.”
Hashem agrees. “[The sheriff] has more important things to do,” he says, “than be pumpkin police.”
NOTE: This story has been edited after publication to correct the name of the family that owns the Pumpkin Patch. The name is Egger, not Eggers.
Really!! He though a camera phone was a gun??? He has copied everything they have done, down to the cow train.
Plus their last name is Egger, not Eggers.
wilamette weekly makes it sound that the Bella people did something wrong by selling pumpkins next door to the egereses it is a free country people should be able to compete and creat jobs. it souds like the egereses are greedy and want to make all the money for themselfs. they send thier employees to harrasse the bella employees like they have done to Kreugers farm a few years ago. Shame shame shame,o ya linda richarson the camera wasas big as a roket launcher was not a cell phone .
There is plenty of pumpkin/corn maze related revenue to go around. The real issue is that there needs to be some kind of agreement between the farmers on the Island to stop the one-uping that passes for promotions.
Eggers vilify their neighbors in the papers, how low is that? Now they both look bad.
I know firsthand that the Eggers are wonderful, generous people who are about helping others.
...unless those 'others' are competeing with them.
Emily Green? Use spell check?!?
Really. This is annoying article to read.
Eggers greedy? yea right, they are the most generous people i have ever met. There are many farms on the island that sell pumpkin and produce and there is not a problem at all with that. its when the farm right next door starts doing whatever possible to take business from The Pumpkin Patch that it becomes a problem, such as copying the unique things that have only ever been offered at the pumpkin patch. I have heard numerous complaints about the Bella 'Pumpkin farm' about their poor services and deceitful ways of doing business. Bella employees even used a stop sign and stopped traffic heading to The Pumpkin Patch and directed traffic into their farm. When costumers realize that this farm with a newly changed name to ‘The Pumpkin Farm’ which mimic the original ‘The Pumpkin Patch’ is not the one that they remember going to as a child or even in previous years.. the Employees at the Bella farm refuse to allow information about The Pumpkin Patch to them. Leaving many costumers with complaints about the poor sportsmanship in this pumpkin competition.
what would you say if I tell you that someone from the Eggers's camp send someone to off the owner of Bella, and ended up knifing a working relative instead?
would you beleive they are greedy to death?
in a free society we have the right to compete , and open any business we want , but to harrass, intimidate, then kill to stop a competitor is still against the law last time I checked.
competition is legal in our country, unless you people live in the the twilight zone . I don't see a problem with marketing willamette weekly should understand that ! it looks to me that we are blaiming the victim in this case for opening a business and giving free maze passes to customers. it is like we telling a rape victim you wore a short skirt so you were asking for it.
it is the portland Pumpkin farm who was vandelized, truck and signs stollen, harrassed by driving thugs, called racial names, stocked,threatened, then stabed witha knife, for what ? because they are selling pumpkins?
The eggers can't pretend they are not envolved in these acts when people working with them are the ones who doing those acts. I am embaressed for you Pumpkin patch how can you sleep at night?