Sofya Cooper of Front Door Festive is leaving her clients’ homes more beautiful than when she left them — pumpkin style.
Cooper, a full-time benefits consultant and mom of three, has the reputation of having “the house with all the pumpkins” in her Lynnfield neighborhood. So in 2024, she started Front Door Festive: a seasonal outdoor decoration company that specializes in abundant, playful pumpkin designs and winter holiday displays.
“Those comments stuck with me, so I decided to turn it into a business,” Cooper said.
To clarify, Cooper doesn’t decorate the pumpkins; she decorates with pumpkins.
“I’m still working on my elevator pitch as to what Front Door Festive is. Sometimes people ask me if I’m going to carve every individual one. No, that would be insanity,” Cooper said.
Clients can choose from three different designs, ranging from $300-$900, to get pumpkins of all shapes and sizes. Winter holiday decor packages include custom planters, wreaths, and a garland.
Front Door Festive also cuts out the middleman when it comes to fall decor, cleaning and creating the items as well as installing them directly to the client’s front doors. Once the season is over, the company also disposes of the pumpkins by sending them to a compost facility or using them for animal feed.
“A lot of people tell me they love how the arrangements look, but they would never have the energy to do it themselves. It’s a lot to go to the store, buy the pumpkins, and lug them home,” Cooper said.
She added, “(Front Door Festive) is meant to take a lot of thinking and doing off of the homeowner’s list to make things a more seamless process for them. And I recognize that it’s an investment, but you get six to eight weeks of joy at your home.”
Cooper originally got the inspiration after seeing a similar concept in Texas. While there are a handful of similar pumpkin-arranging services in the Massachusetts area, Cooper stands out with Front Door Festive by sourcing high-quality pumpkins from Pennsylvania farmers.
This fall, she went to a produce auction and picked out every single batch herself over the span of 10 hours. Selections included the proverbial, round, orange pumpkins and lesser known varieties such as blue dolls, pink dolls, snowballs, and Colorado sunrises.
Cooper has delivered pumpkin arrangements to 66 North Shore homes in 2025, with most of her clientele from last year returning. A large portion of her customer base is currently in Lynnfield, spanning a wide range of ages.
“The community connection and crossing paths with people I otherwise wouldn’t have is really nice. Seeing that there is interest from a span of generations has been a highlight,” Cooper said.
Cooper enjoys the seasonal
aspect of the business given her busy full-time job and family life. While she took a week off of work this year to retrieve the pumpkins, she mainly juggles Front Door Festive on nights and weekends. Her husband supports her with managing storage and inventory, while friends and neighbors volunteered in the early stages.
“Having a full-time career, the appeal is that I get this burst of creativity, and then I can wait and do it again next year, so I’m always fresh,” Cooper said.
However, pumpkin arrangements don’t come without their obstacles. Cooper described squirrels as Front Door Festive’s “archnemesis” and said that weather and home setups, such as excessive stairs, can make the process trickier.
“I’ve learned that it’s very hard to reverse a trailer in a pickup truck,” Cooper said.
Cooper also learned to push herself outside of her comfort zone with the marketing aspect of her business, such as putting herself out there on social media, approaching people, and arranging booths at fall festivals.
“I haven’t really tried to advertise my services like this since my babysitting days as a teenager,” Cooper said.
She added, “But it’s been amazing. It took a leap of faith to put myself out there. It felt like such a departure, and people have been so supportive whether they book, follow, or tell their friends. It’s been really heartwarming to get the support of people I know and don’t know. The amount that it’s taken off, it’s been really rewarding.”
As for the trajectory of Front Door Festive, Cooper envisions sticking with the pumpkins and winter holiday niche. She also has her eye on expanding the business by supporting more orders, creating more storage space, and growing the team by employing more drivers.
“The sky’s the limit with the pumpkins,” Cooper said.
