The Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch, located about 30 miles northwest of central Dallas, has announced that it will not reopen this fall after being in operation for 29 years.
For many area families, a fall visit to the Pumpkin Patch has become an annual tradition. The business has opened every October for nearly three decades, offering family-friendly outdoor activities such as hay rides, a hay bale maze, and pumpkin picking. In addition, the venue provided a playground, picnic tables, and food and beverage vendors.
The organization pointed out in a Facebook post that its notices for help “did not generate the number of employees necessary to open safely.”
Many small businesses are running into similar problems of labor shortage. Since pre-pandemic, about 3 million fewer workers are participating in the workforce.
However, even if all the unemployed were to take a job opening, there would still be a significant amount of job openings left. Labor statistics from July 2022 show around 10.7 million job openings and 5.7 million unemployed.
Several factors contributed to this, such as the enhanced unemployment benefits — which resulted in many people getting paid more for not working — adults retiring early during the pandemic, as well as issues with a lack of child care for working mothers.
A notice on the Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch website states: “Thanks everybody for a great pumpkin season; we’re closed until next year. We look forward to seeing you then!”