MARNE, Mich. — It's only the beginning of September, but if you're already thinking about decorating for fall, a family-run pumpkin stand in Marne has what you're looking for.
Kyle and Madison Bradshaw have a roadside stand selling pumpkins on the corner of 8th Avenue and Comstock Street. It's already stocked with about 25 different varieties of stackable, decorative pumpkins.
The Bradshaws have been operating their pumpkin stand for four years now. They said this year's crop is the largest they've seen.
Madison said they have repeat customers each year, and that many customers are more excited to support a small, family-run stand.
Operating the stand allows them to work together as a family, Madison said.
"So we have been into gardening, canning, growing our own food, for quite a long time now, and we kind of just wanted to take that hobby and turn it into something more," she said. "We thought it would be a good thing for our family and our kids to learn some hard work and be able to earn some extra cash on the side. So it's something we really enjoy doing as a family."
Kyle, who handles most of the planting and maintenance, said pumpkins can be tricky to grow—but it's exciting to see what types of pumpkins they get each year.
"It's enjoyable to see the crops and all the unique varieties and stuff that you might not know that's going to be there," he said. "I mean, sometimes you get cross pollination seeds and you never know what you're going to get. So it's fun."
The Bradshaws say they have an orange flag by their stand, and that you can drive through the gate to park near it. A cash box is set up and the Bradshaws are periodically there to restock and check on things.
You can find out more about the stand here.