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Kyle Waring, of
Somerville, Massachusetts, set up the website shipfoliage.com
earlier this year and began sending his first packages of
hand-picked leaves to U.S. customers this week.
"I've hit over 200 sales so far," he said.
Waring came up with the idea while contemplating "seasonal
monetization opportunities" with his wife. They settled on
leaves, he said, because "fall in New England is especially
gorgeous and really strikes an emotional chord."
It is not Waring's first foray into seasonal offerings. Last
winter, he shipped snow from Boston's record snowfall for $89,
using the website ShipSnowYo.com. He said he received requests
for 718 pounds (326 kg) of snow from around the United States.
According to shipfoliage.com, Kyle offers bundles of three
leaves of red, yellow and green, ranging from 3 to 6 inches (7.5
to 15 cm) in size. The leaves are preserved in a mixture of
glycerin and water and shipped.
New England states bring in an estimated $3 million in tourism
revenue during the autumn foliage season, which typically lasts
for a couple of weeks in October.
(Reporting by Richard Valdmanis; Editing by Will Dunham and
Sandra Maler)
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