June 26, 2025 • 13 mins
What happens when two entrepreneurial moms combine their creative talents with their love for fall? Christine Davis and Ashley Bunn answer this question with Little Pumpkin Decorators, their South Charlotte business transforming ordinary porches into spectacular seasonal displays.
The magic begins when clients select from four thoughtfully designed packages—ranging from the modest Mini to the show-stopping Grand Pumpkin—along with three distinct color palettes that complement different architectural styles. While many clients initially focus on pumpkin quantities, Christine and Ashley emphasize that the true transformation comes from understanding the overall aesthetic. Their expert combinations of heirloom pumpkins, traditional orange gourds, strategically placed hay bales for dimension, and vibrant mums create displays that repeatedly inspire spontaneous entertaining.
"You just changed my whole holiday!" exclaimed one client who immediately planned a Friendsgiving after seeing her completed porch. This reaction exemplifies why these decorators find their work so rewarding—they're not just arranging pumpkins; they're creating gathering spaces that foster family connections and community. With sustainability built into their model (all pumpkins eventually become treats for animals at local farms), Little Pumpkin Decorators has established a business that aligns perfectly with their values as mothers and entrepreneurs.
Ready to transform your entryway this fall? Whether you're looking to enhance your home, business storefront, or even create a stunning backdrop for a fall wedding, visit littlepumpkindecorators.com or call 704-840-3017 to discuss your vision with Christine and Ashley today.
Little Pumpkin Decorators
Christine Davies & Ashley Bunn
Charlotte, NC
(704) 840-3017
decorators@littlepumpkindecorators.com
littlepumpkindecorators.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi everyone, and welcome to part two of our
podcast series with the ownersof Little Pumpkin Decorators,
based in South Charlotte.
We have with us Christine Davisand Ashley Bunn, the
co-founders and co owners.
Welcome, ladies, thank you forhaving us, absolutely.
(00:20):
So in the first one we talkedabout kind of your journey to
this and your why, and I loveeverything.
You guys, you know you put somuch genuine thought into your
model as moms, as people thatare still ambitious and have a
(00:40):
creative outlet, so I love allthat.
So let's today, you know,looking at your website and I'd
love for you to really walk usthrough your business model.
Can you walk us through what atypical project looks like from
beginning to end?
Ashley, you want to share that,sure?
Speaker 3 (00:57):
um, so typically the client will book the package and
there are typically somequestions they ask because
they're not really sure.
Um, so we get some pictures oftheir house and then we kind of
decide what would look best.
And then, um, our kids help uspick the pumpkins.
So we'll kind of guide them,like we need 20 white or 30
(01:20):
yellow or whatever, and theyhelp pick.
And then we load up the truckand there may be a child with us
and we go to the house and westart decorating.
We've already have a plan as towhere we're gonna put the
pumpkins and how we're gonnadecorate them.
(01:41):
But once we get there it doeschange a little bit because the
house is different than you seein a picture.
Maybe the stairs are a littlewider, maybe, you know, the
Sun's coming from a certain wayor whatever different, very
variable.
So we kind of assess all thatand then we just kind of start,
you know, putting the, thedisplay out.
(02:04):
Um, then we let the client knowwe're done and then they come
out and they are just like oh mygod, yeah, like they're always
so big reveal yes, and I'malways like, oh, go ahead, hope
they like it.
And then they're like, oh, thisis amazing, and they're just so
much more excited, which I thinkyou know, christine and I both
(02:27):
love that so much and you know,like the husband's like it and
the kids like it and you knowit's I don't know it just brings
a lot of joy and and it seemsto kind of create more like
family connection, um.
So so that's our favorite orthat's my favorite part.
And then I just check it, wecheck in with them like every so
(02:49):
often, just make sureeverything's good, and then if
they decide to have us pick upthe pumpkins, we'll go back and
pick them up at the end of theseason and there are weeks that
we do that, so they would pickthat time and then we load them
up and we take them to a twolocal farms in Charlotte and
then we load them up and we takethem to a to local farms in
Charlotte and then the pumpkinsare treats for the animals.
(03:10):
So Wow yeah, mm-hmm the kidslove that the customers love
that just kind of full circle so, christine, just right the
process.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
Okay, I'm interested in what you guys have to offer.
What do I do now?
Speaker 2 (03:28):
so this year where, um, we put a lot of processes
and systems in place, that'skind of like where I um, where
my expertise comes in Ashley'slike the designer, and really
focused on the art and I've kindof put into the process and
support the business.
So we have a website this year,which is awesome.
(03:49):
We put together four differentpackages in terms of sizes.
So we've got our mini packageall the way up to the grand
pumpkin.
So think you know a little,yeah, so if you have, like you
know, three, three or four stepsand kind of they're kind of
narrow, you're probably going towant the mini Um.
(04:11):
But if you've got a nice largelanding, um, even like just a
couple steps on the landing andyou can really do a nice display
of like with hay bales anddifferent heights, you're going
to want the grand pumpkin.
And then we've got a couple inbetween.
We've got the spice and thepatch.
So we've got, you know, a rangein sizes for everybody's budget
(04:35):
and everybody's desired outcome.
And then we've also got threepalettes.
So when they go onto ourwebsite they choose the size
that they like and then thepalettes.
So we've got the vintage, whichis kind of those muted fall
colors, heirloom pumpkins,primarily a few little.
(04:57):
Maybe we'll use the white piepumpkins and things like that
and that really we find thatthat palette really goes well
with a white house.
It could be on any house, butyou know that looks particularly
nice.
We've got the vibrant, which isthose big colors of fall.
So we, you know those yellowsand greens and orange and you
(05:21):
know all the colors that youkind of think of, from pumpkins
to gourds.
We'll use big gourds and smallgourds and big pumpkins, small
pumpkins.
And then we've got our classic,which is that orange, green and
white, and so those really givethe ability for you to kind of
customize what works best foryou and your family and what you
(05:44):
desire.
And then we've got some add-onsas well.
So we have three of ourpackages come with hay bales
because they're larger, so wewould want to have like
opportunity to have some heighton some of those pumpkins.
And then you can add on mums,and mums really completes the
(06:04):
look.
I have to tell you that that is, if you don't go with mums, you
might, you know, regret itbecause it really, like you'll
notice, from our gallery we'vegot some that have mums, some
that don't, but in my opinion,it just really you know, moms
really speak to fall.
So we've got that as an optionto add on to your package.
(06:27):
And then we've also got wherewe're offering that grand prize
pumpkin, which is that huge one.
If you like to go big, this isthe big trust me, it's very big.
And then we've got also,depending on how your yard is
and you know how your displaydesires are.
(06:50):
You know, if you have like anisland kind of space and you're
landscaping, we offer a harvestfall, harvest add-on where we'll
put an additional display inone of your like maybe it's by a
tree that kind of sits off ofyour driveway.
There's different options there.
So we've got like a lot of waysfor you to customize your look.
(07:11):
So even if your neighbor bookswith us and you book with us,
you won't get the same display.
So we've yeah, we've reallytried to think through of ways
that we can make our, make ourclients feel like they have
control over the design processand then they can always reach
out to us if they don't, if theydon't know what would look good
(07:33):
, and we'll be confirming thebookings the week prior.
So we're going to do, we'llGoogle their address, get a
street view If we notice like,hey, you might have booked
something too big, believe it ornot, that can happen, right.
So we show up and it's a verysmall porch but they're like, oh
no, I need the grand pumpkin.
(07:54):
So we want to make sure thatthey realize like, hey, this
might you know you might behaving to trip over pumpkins to
get to your front door.
Or you know, like you know wewant to make sure we you know
we're transparent, right, so wemight.
Or if we notice like, hey,you've got this massive porch
but you only booked the mini,you might regret not upgrading
(08:17):
because it will.
You know the pumpkins willbasically be hidden, or you know
it won't look like much, sowe'll we'll want to confirm that
with our client.
So just so they know.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
What comes to mind with me right now is oh my gosh,
now I got to have a partybecause my front door looks so
good.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
Yes, yes, this happened last year, yes, which
which we loved because again itwas like more like the
connection and the family andthe community the friends, so
they have this awesome portion.
Like we gotta have a party.
Like, yes, have a party and youknow they'd say, oh, we haven't
had a party in you know fiveyears or since you know whatever
.
So it's nice to just inspirethat, yeah, yeah they um, that
(08:58):
particular client.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
They were going away, I think, think to Dallas or
something, for Thanksgiving, butshe was like, oh no, we have to
have a friendsgiving, becausethis is too good.
I need pictures of all of mygirlfriends around this display
on by my front door.
So it was, it was reallyawesome.
But she was that way.
She walked outside and she'slike, oh my gosh, you just like
changed my whole holiday.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
Well, I love that.
So what are some of themisconceptions you guys run into
?
And I don't know which one ofyou should answer this, but
you've got this new clientyou've talked about.
You know they might think toosmall or too big.
So what are thesemisconceptions, ashley, you take
that.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
I think when they understand how many pumpkins
each package includes, they kindof stick to that number and
they'll think, oh, 40 pumpkins,like that's too much.
So I think staying away fromthe number of the pumpkins and
(10:01):
looking at the look on thewebsite, so kind of deciding
what look they like and goingwith that and forgetting about
the number of pumpkins, and thensomething too is like the hay
really adds so much dimension.
I mean you can create such alike really cozy or luxurious
(10:23):
vibe with adding the hay,because you can stack the
pumpkins in different ways andyou can kind of shape them and
just create.
I mean it's just kind of crazywhat we've been able to make
with pumpkins and hay, um, andthen like, um, like christine
was saying, the mums, theyreally do just make it pop and
they make it more cozy andcomfortable.
So it kind of goes back to what, what you're looking for, the
(10:46):
kind of look you want.
But mums are great and the hayis great for dimension.
It really can create a grandlook.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
Christine, you mentioned before, you guys can
do businesses, commercial andevent.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
Talk to us a little bit about that.
Oh yes, so we, you know it'snot limited to just residential,
obviously, that's where youknow our focus is.
But we would love to bringpumpkin displays to a business
storefront, especially if you'redoing like a fall special or or
if you're like a photographerand want to do a fall like fall
mini session.
(11:25):
We would love to style that foryou and I hope somebody books
us for a fall wedding this year.
I would love to do a fallwedding and really make that
custom for their colors.
You know there's a lot we can dowith.
Like just the greens and thewhites just do pink and black
pumpkins.
I mean you, it's really.
(11:46):
I had no idea the pumpkin worlduntil last year and just
learning all the different colorpalettes, all the different
shades and the things that wecan really do with, you know,
stacking them and making big.
You know it's.
I really hope that we get onethis year because I would love
to see that as an entrance to achurch or an entrance to their
(12:09):
reception.
You know, I think it would bejust fabulous.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
So so what areas of Charlotte do you guys serve
currently Ashley?
Speaker 3 (12:19):
So the majority of the clients are in the Myers
Park, eastover area, um, andthen we do mostly South
Charlotte, um, if you think oflike Charlotte as a circle, kind
of like that bottom triangle iswhere we've really focused on.
Um, we can deliver outside ofthat area.
There's just a an additionalfee gotcha.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
So uh the so South, so South Charlotte, like
Valentine Waxhaw.
Marvin, do you have anythingyou want to add, either one of
you?
Speaker 2 (12:54):
If you have questions about what porch or what
display would be right for you,you can email us.
We're open to getting on thephone.
You can send us a picture ofyour porch and say what would be
good, um, or you know, just youknow, take that leap, get on
our gallery.
Um, have have a look.
Um, yeah, we're alwaysavailable for questions.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
Yeah, your website's beautiful and you have the
gallery.
What is?
Tell us what your website is?
Speaker 3 (13:22):
Um.
The link is www.
littlepumpkindecorators.
com very good and phone number704-840-3017 thank you, ladies.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
I'm so excited this you just I can see you by the
smiles on your face.
You, you love, love, what youdo.
I just have visions of thisbeing just such a big success.
Thank you.
Hi everyone, and welcome to part two of our
podcast series with the ownersof Little Pumpkin Decorators,
based in South Charlotte.
We have with us Christine Davisand Ashley Bunn, the
co-founders and co owners.
Welcome, ladies, thank you forhaving us, absolutely.
(00:20):
So in the first one we talkedabout kind of your journey to
this and your why, and I loveeverything.
You guys, you know you put somuch genuine thought into your
model as moms, as people thatare still ambitious and have a
(00:40):
creative outlet, so I love allthat.
So let's today, you know,looking at your website and I'd
love for you to really walk usthrough your business model.
Can you walk us through what atypical project looks like from
beginning to end?
Ashley, you want to share that,sure?
Speaker 3 (00:57):
um, so typically the client will book the package and
there are typically somequestions they ask because
they're not really sure.
Um, so we get some pictures oftheir house and then we kind of
decide what would look best.
And then, um, our kids help uspick the pumpkins.
So we'll kind of guide them,like we need 20 white or 30
(01:20):
yellow or whatever, and theyhelp pick.
And then we load up the truckand there may be a child with us
and we go to the house and westart decorating.
We've already have a plan as towhere we're gonna put the
pumpkins and how we're gonnadecorate them.
(01:41):
But once we get there it doeschange a little bit because the
house is different than you seein a picture.
Maybe the stairs are a littlewider, maybe, you know, the
Sun's coming from a certain wayor whatever different, very
variable.
So we kind of assess all thatand then we just kind of start,
you know, putting the, thedisplay out.
(02:04):
Um, then we let the client knowwe're done and then they come
out and they are just like oh mygod, yeah, like they're always
so big reveal yes, and I'malways like, oh, go ahead, hope
they like it.
And then they're like, oh, thisis amazing, and they're just so
much more excited, which I thinkyou know, christine and I both
(02:27):
love that so much and you know,like the husband's like it and
the kids like it and you knowit's I don't know it just brings
a lot of joy and and it seemsto kind of create more like
family connection, um.
So so that's our favorite orthat's my favorite part.
And then I just check it, wecheck in with them like every so
(02:49):
often, just make sureeverything's good, and then if
they decide to have us pick upthe pumpkins, we'll go back and
pick them up at the end of theseason and there are weeks that
we do that, so they would pickthat time and then we load them
up and we take them to a twolocal farms in Charlotte and
then we load them up and we takethem to a to local farms in
Charlotte and then the pumpkinsare treats for the animals.
(03:10):
So Wow yeah, mm-hmm the kidslove that the customers love
that just kind of full circle so, christine, just right the
process.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
Okay, I'm interested in what you guys have to offer.
What do I do now?
Speaker 2 (03:28):
so this year where, um, we put a lot of processes
and systems in place, that'skind of like where I um, where
my expertise comes in Ashley'slike the designer, and really
focused on the art and I've kindof put into the process and
support the business.
So we have a website this year,which is awesome.
(03:49):
We put together four differentpackages in terms of sizes.
So we've got our mini packageall the way up to the grand
pumpkin.
So think you know a little,yeah, so if you have, like you
know, three, three or four stepsand kind of they're kind of
narrow, you're probably going towant the mini Um.
(04:11):
But if you've got a nice largelanding, um, even like just a
couple steps on the landing andyou can really do a nice display
of like with hay bales anddifferent heights, you're going
to want the grand pumpkin.
And then we've got a couple inbetween.
We've got the spice and thepatch.
So we've got, you know, a rangein sizes for everybody's budget
(04:35):
and everybody's desired outcome.
And then we've also got threepalettes.
So when they go onto ourwebsite they choose the size
that they like and then thepalettes.
So we've got the vintage, whichis kind of those muted fall
colors, heirloom pumpkins,primarily a few little.
(04:57):
Maybe we'll use the white piepumpkins and things like that
and that really we find thatthat palette really goes well
with a white house.
It could be on any house, butyou know that looks particularly
nice.
We've got the vibrant, which isthose big colors of fall.
So we, you know those yellowsand greens and orange and you
(05:21):
know all the colors that youkind of think of, from pumpkins
to gourds.
We'll use big gourds and smallgourds and big pumpkins, small
pumpkins.
And then we've got our classic,which is that orange, green and
white, and so those really givethe ability for you to kind of
customize what works best foryou and your family and what you
(05:44):
desire.
And then we've got some add-onsas well.
So we have three of ourpackages come with hay bales
because they're larger, so wewould want to have like
opportunity to have some heighton some of those pumpkins.
And then you can add on mums,and mums really completes the
(06:04):
look.
I have to tell you that that is, if you don't go with mums, you
might, you know, regret itbecause it really, like you'll
notice, from our gallery we'vegot some that have mums, some
that don't, but in my opinion,it just really you know, moms
really speak to fall.
So we've got that as an optionto add on to your package.
(06:27):
And then we've also got wherewe're offering that grand prize
pumpkin, which is that huge one.
If you like to go big, this isthe big trust me, it's very big.
And then we've got also,depending on how your yard is
and you know how your displaydesires are.
(06:50):
You know, if you have like anisland kind of space and you're
landscaping, we offer a harvestfall, harvest add-on where we'll
put an additional display inone of your like maybe it's by a
tree that kind of sits off ofyour driveway.
There's different options there.
So we've got like a lot of waysfor you to customize your look.
(07:11):
So even if your neighbor bookswith us and you book with us,
you won't get the same display.
So we've yeah, we've reallytried to think through of ways
that we can make our, make ourclients feel like they have
control over the design processand then they can always reach
out to us if they don't, if theydon't know what would look good
(07:33):
, and we'll be confirming thebookings the week prior.
So we're going to do, we'llGoogle their address, get a
street view If we notice like,hey, you might have booked
something too big, believe it ornot, that can happen, right.
So we show up and it's a verysmall porch but they're like, oh
no, I need the grand pumpkin.
(07:54):
So we want to make sure thatthey realize like, hey, this
might you know you might behaving to trip over pumpkins to
get to your front door.
Or you know, like you know wewant to make sure we you know
we're transparent, right, so wemight.
Or if we notice like, hey,you've got this massive porch
but you only booked the mini,you might regret not upgrading
(08:17):
because it will.
You know the pumpkins willbasically be hidden, or you know
it won't look like much, sowe'll we'll want to confirm that
with our client.
So just so they know.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
What comes to mind with me right now is oh my gosh,
now I got to have a partybecause my front door looks so
good.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
Yes, yes, this happened last year, yes, which
which we loved because again itwas like more like the
connection and the family andthe community the friends, so
they have this awesome portion.
Like we gotta have a party.
Like, yes, have a party and youknow they'd say, oh, we haven't
had a party in you know fiveyears or since you know whatever
.
So it's nice to just inspirethat, yeah, yeah they um, that
(08:58):
particular client.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
They were going away, I think, think to Dallas or
something, for Thanksgiving, butshe was like, oh no, we have to
have a friendsgiving, becausethis is too good.
I need pictures of all of mygirlfriends around this display
on by my front door.
So it was, it was reallyawesome.
But she was that way.
She walked outside and she'slike, oh my gosh, you just like
changed my whole holiday.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
Well, I love that.
So what are some of themisconceptions you guys run into
?
And I don't know which one ofyou should answer this, but
you've got this new clientyou've talked about.
You know they might think toosmall or too big.
So what are thesemisconceptions, ashley, you take
that.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
I think when they understand how many pumpkins
each package includes, they kindof stick to that number and
they'll think, oh, 40 pumpkins,like that's too much.
So I think staying away fromthe number of the pumpkins and
(10:01):
looking at the look on thewebsite, so kind of deciding
what look they like and goingwith that and forgetting about
the number of pumpkins, and thensomething too is like the hay
really adds so much dimension.
I mean you can create such alike really cozy or luxurious
(10:23):
vibe with adding the hay,because you can stack the
pumpkins in different ways andyou can kind of shape them and
just create.
I mean it's just kind of crazywhat we've been able to make
with pumpkins and hay, um, andthen like, um, like christine
was saying, the mums, theyreally do just make it pop and
they make it more cozy andcomfortable.
So it kind of goes back to what, what you're looking for, the
(10:46):
kind of look you want.
But mums are great and the hayis great for dimension.
It really can create a grandlook.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
Christine, you mentioned before, you guys can
do businesses, commercial andevent.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
Talk to us a little bit about that.
Oh yes, so we, you know it'snot limited to just residential,
obviously, that's where youknow our focus is.
But we would love to bringpumpkin displays to a business
storefront, especially if you'redoing like a fall special or or
if you're like a photographerand want to do a fall like fall
mini session.
(11:25):
We would love to style that foryou and I hope somebody books
us for a fall wedding this year.
I would love to do a fallwedding and really make that
custom for their colors.
You know there's a lot we can dowith.
Like just the greens and thewhites just do pink and black
pumpkins.
I mean you, it's really.
(11:46):
I had no idea the pumpkin worlduntil last year and just
learning all the different colorpalettes, all the different
shades and the things that wecan really do with, you know,
stacking them and making big.
You know it's.
I really hope that we get onethis year because I would love
to see that as an entrance to achurch or an entrance to their
(12:09):
reception.
You know, I think it would bejust fabulous.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
So so what areas of Charlotte do you guys serve
currently Ashley?
Speaker 3 (12:19):
So the majority of the clients are in the Myers
Park, eastover area, um, andthen we do mostly South
Charlotte, um, if you think oflike Charlotte as a circle, kind
of like that bottom triangle iswhere we've really focused on.
Um, we can deliver outside ofthat area.
There's just a an additionalfee gotcha.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
So uh the so South, so South Charlotte, like
Valentine Waxhaw.
Marvin, do you have anythingyou want to add, either one of
you?
Speaker 2 (12:54):
If you have questions about what porch or what
display would be right for you,you can email us.
We're open to getting on thephone.
You can send us a picture ofyour porch and say what would be
good, um, or you know, just youknow, take that leap, get on
our gallery.
Um, have have a look.
Um, yeah, we're alwaysavailable for questions.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
Yeah, your website's beautiful and you have the
gallery.
What is?
Tell us what your website is?
Speaker 3 (13:22):
Um.
The link is www.
littlepumpkindecorators.
com very good and phone number704-840-3017 thank you, ladies.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
I'm so excited this you just I can see you by the
smiles on your face.
You, you love, love, what youdo.
I just have visions of thisbeing just such a big success.
Thank you.
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