Bumper crop for banner business
Restrictions and closings at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic caused some proprietors of Gilmer County’s apple houses and farm markets to wonder if this fall’s influx of customers would be as strong as in previous years.
With apple season now underway, several orchards are reporting as good or better business than they would usually see by the start of October.
“Business has been great and we haven’t seen any slack or anything. People seem to be normalizing. They’re wearing their masks and getting outdoors. I was worried it was going to be off, but things have been normal. Everything’s just moving right along and I can’t complain,” said R&A Orchards owner Andy Futch.
Futch, whose Highway 52 farm market is open year-round, said his customers have been coming from all over.
“We’ve had people here all the way from Alaska, as well as Louisiana, Texas and Tennessee. There’s been a lot from Alabama and a lot from Mississippi, but I’d say the majority of the folks are from Florida,” he noted. “We’ve got signs up asking people to wear a mask. We’re not enforcing it, but we are suggesting it. We’re still running our wagons and doing our normal U-picks.”
‘Just glad to be out’
Lisa Salman, tourism manager at the Gilmer Chamber, noted that apple house business was also strong leading up to fall.
“People always start coming up in September and October, of course October being key because you have the Apple Festival. But I’ve talked to some apple houses that, on Labor Day weekend, had record-setting days they’ve never had before in September,” she said.
Hillcrest Orchards proprietor Janice Hale said her Highway 52 farm market and activity park has seen “record-breaking” business since it opened Labor Day weekend.
“Every year is different, but this year is really different. I’d say we were double what a normal September is, which is amazing,” she said. “(A lot of our business) has been individual families and we fill the parking lot. This past weekend was better than the Apple Festival weekends. We were full.”
By this time, Hale would normally be welcoming tour buses carrying visitors eager to shop and soak up the scenery. Due to the ongoing pandemic, that’s not the case this year.
“We’re not getting the buses, I guess because they’re afraid to be closed up. We also didn’t do school tours because the state didn’t allow field trips. We were kind of concerned about that loss of revenue, but, the way it’s been, I don’t think we would’ve had time to do them,” Hale said.
Barry Pritchett, owner of the Red Apple Barn, said business also started picking up not long after his Highway 282 apple house opened for the season in August.
“It pretty much kicked off Labor Day weekend and it’s been busier than usual this year,” he said. “From the people I’ve talked to (around the state), agritourism things have been busier than usual this year. People are wanting to be out where there’s air moving around and they’re hunting outdoor activities to do with their kids. They want to get out of the city, basically. We’ve had lines and, last Saturday, I was apologizing to people for the wait. They were like, ‘No problem. We’re just glad to be out!’”
The same reasons that cabin rentals have been up around the county are likely also bringing more peoples to the local orchards and apple houses, noted John Penland, owner of the Penland’s Apple House on Highway 282.
“I’ve had lots of new customers I’ve never had before. I see a lot of people coming from Florida and I’ll ask what they’re doing. They say they’ve got a cabin rented and they’re going to stay here for a week or so. ‘We’re staying down in Coosawattee,’ they’ll say. It’s definitely bringing people in,” Penland said. “A lot of your big hotel/motel travel spots like Las Vegas are pretty much closed down, so they’re looking for somewhere like a cabin where they can be by theirselves and this is the perfect type of vacation for them here in Ellijay.”
Pritchett said he’s heard similar comments from customers who are vacationing or spending a day in the mountains.
“In the north Georgia mountains, you have things like the orchards, the national forests and the mountain biking. Basically everything outdoors is what we are. I think it’s a good fit for people trying to get away from confined spaces and get outdoors,” he said.
“We get folks from Chattanooga, Dalton, Chatsworth and a lot of different places. People just really enjoy the area here. It seems to me that people are also wanting more experiences and maybe connecting back to some of the simpler things in life. One thing that parents and grandparents tell me, our tractor drivers or people in the orchard is they want their children or grandchildren to see where food comes from.”
Just a few months ago, both Penland and Pritchett were concerned about what kind of effect the pandemic would have during this typically busy time of year for the local apple industry.
“We weren’t open in March or April, so that wasn’t an issue. I was very concerned, though. We didn’t have any idea what to expect. I always expect the worst and hope for the best. So far, it’s been the best,” Penland said.
“I didn’t really know what to expect so we’ve taken a lot of precautions,” Pritchett said. “We’ve remodeled our apple house and tried to make it where people have a lot more room to shop and move around. We ask people to wear a mask in the building and on the wagon rides and our staff has masks on in enclosed areas. We have hand sanitizer everywhere and three handwashing stations outdoors. We’ve tried to do what we know to do.”
Fall’s not canceled
Although the Georgia Apple Festival and its sister events have been canceled for this year, Salman said the Gilmer Chamber is reminding everyone that doesn’t mean fall in the mountains is canceled.
“The orchards are open and people are out hiking because the leaves are starting to fall. We’re getting calls asking (things like), ‘when will the leaves be peaking’ or ‘can you still pick apples now that the festival is closed?’” she said.
We have an apple house and orchard pamphlet with a map and their hours and phone numbers. It’s a popular one and I distribute it to our hotels, motels and cabin rentals. They have it so people know where to go.”
The crisp fall weather that’s started filtering in hasn’t hurt business, either, noted R&A’s Jennifer Futch.
“Could you ask for any more perfect weather? It’s been perfect weather for picking apples,” she said. “People are wanting to get outside and they’re so glad to get back to a little normalcy. We’re thankful for what (business) we’ve had so far.”
The uncloudy weather is not only beneficial for bringing customers to the apple houses, but also for the crop, itself, noted Penland.
“The apple harvest is just perfect. We need dry weather. We’ve been hindered by rain about getting apples picked and we’re catching up quick with this kind of weather. We’ve got a loaded bumper crop of apples and a lot of business. We’ve all been doing well,” he added.