He just wanted to be the “cool neighbor” on Halloween — now, he’s squashing the competition.
A former mortgage broker became a professional pumpkin carver after his impressive artwork stunned friends and family, earning him an estimated $1 million over a decade.
When he was whittling pumpkin exteriors full time, California gourd artist Alex Wer was averaging 600 to 700 orders per year, he told the Daily Mail.
“Each carve takes about four to six hours, so I was working for 3,500 hours a year for 10 years,” said Wer, 56, who now splits his time as a Comic Con sales manager.
“I was making about $100,000 a year after expenses at the time.”
Each pumpkin carving takes Alex Wer about four to six hours to complete. He’s pictured here with actress Ming-Na Wen. Caters News / @ThePumpkinGeek
Wer quit his job as a mortgage broker to pursue professional pumpkin carving, though he now splits his time working at Comic Con. Caters News / @ThePumpkinGeek
Each carved faux gourd goes for at least $195. Caters News / @ThePumpkinGeekHis creations, which cost at least $195 a pop, include notable mugs of the Joker, Spider-Man, Harry Potter, Yoda and Taylor Swift etched into the sides of seasonable faux gourds.
“My favorite design was for the movie ‘The Hobbit.’ I won an award in Hollywood for it,” said Wer, who touted his secret to success as “practice.”
He stumbled into his “Orange Empire” completely by accident after carving a pumpkin for his wife’s office’s open house in 2009.
His simple logo design gained enough traction to garner 35 orders.
“Not even knowing WHAT I was doing, The Pumpkin Geek was born!!!!” Wer, who goes by the moniker the Pumpkin Geek online, wrote on his website.
Over the course of a decade carving pumpkins full time, Wer has raked in an estimated $1 million. Caters News / @ThePumpkinGeek
“Anything I see in my life now, I wonder how I could carve it,” Wer told SFGate. “I picture the world in orange.” Caters News / @ThePumpkinGeek
Wer said he crafted his “Orange Empire” on accident. Caters News / @ThePumpkinGeekAfter starting his life over at just 50 years old, he told SFGate in 2017, he’s amassed a sizable clientele, many of whom “want another” carved squash after ordering their first — one fan even “built a shelf for his collection.”
The self-proclaimed comic book nerd never foresaw a future in art, but now he can’t imagine his life without his infamous pumpkin portraiture.
“Anything I see in my life now, I wonder how I could carve it,” Wer told SFGate. “I picture the world in orange.”
