Popular pumpkin patch now neighbors outlet mall

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. (AP) - For decades, St. Louis-area residents have for made the trek to the Rombach family pumpkin patch in the Chesterfield valley, taking in its slice of agrarian life every October while picking pumpkins.

But the suburbs have grown up around the pumpkin patch, and this summer, a new 350,000-square-foot outlet mall opened next door.

Farm owner Chip Rombach told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/17jABT1) there's nothing that can be done to stop development. He said the St. Louis Premium Outlets are better than a warehouse.

"The development is moving in around us for sure, but we're still here," Rombach, 59, said. "I grew up here in this bottom when it was nothing. Every year, there are more and more businesses. It's a different world now. You can't stop it. You can't change it. You've got to go along with it."

In fact, Rombach said, drive-by business at the farm has increased.

"But there's also people who said, "Well, we thought you went out of business,"' he said. "A lot of people thought we sold out to the outlet mall, which we didn't. So they were kind of surprised when they come out there and see that we're still here."

The mall's proximity was a bit disconcerting for some pumpkin pickers.

"It's a little weird," said Dustin Henderson of Jackson. "But we were able to block it out and enjoy the overall experience."

In addition to the outlet mall, a mixed-use development called Chesterfield Blue Valley is in the works, and a hotel could be among its tenants.

Rombach Farm was started 99 years ago by Chip Rombach's grandfather, Karl, first in Creve Coeur, then on the outskirts of the St. Louis region. Development closed in, so the family moved to Chesterfield in the 1920s and bought the current 100-acre location in 1943.

Back then, the Chesterfield Valley near the Missouri River was mostly farmland. The Rombachs sold mostly cantaloupes at first, but pumpkins became the main trade as Halloween's popularity grew.

The ever-growing region caught up to the farm, and in the 1960s, the family sold some of its land to make way for Spirit of St. Louis Airport.

Rombach and his wife, Marcia, are taking the future one year at a time. The issue isn't just development: Their children aren't interested in taking over the family business.

Stephanie and Curtis Armstrong of St. Charles first came out to Rombach Farm on a date seven years ago. Now, they're married and bring their three kids with them.

"It's not as pretty now," she said, glancing out at the mall. "But we're still having fun."

Besides, she said, the mall helps the economy and a friend of hers works there.

"Who doesn't like the Disney Store?" she asked.