The Egg Man cometh

For 70 years, Richard Eichner, the "Egg Man," has packed a truck at his Wexford farm to deliver eggs to 500 Pittsburgh homes twice a week.

"At one time, there were seven egg men on a street. Now, I'm the only one," he says. Although huckerstering -- selling farm products door to door -- has almost disappeared, Eichner remains a faithful fixture of Avalon and North Side neighborhoods.

An Egg Man is about fresh eggs, seasonal produce and meats brought to your door. Eichner is known for his sunny-side up visits.

"It's been 57 years of little chitchats every other week," Lorraine Borgesse of Brighton Heights says. Her aunt was an original customer, and Eichner has been her family's Egg Man since 1954. "If there's been a wedding or a death, it might be a little longer. He always has a smile and leaves you on a high note," Borgesse says.

This Egg Man knows his customers.

"We still have a couple of families who say, 'If we're not home, take a look in the refrigerator and see what we need.' We know exactly what vegetables their kids like," Eichner says, with his characteristic smile.

In 1932, when Eichner was 8 years old, his father, Michael, started a huckster route. It began when he drove to the North Side to purchase a livestock water fountain.

"Dad was told, 'Well, if you're coming in, bring me some eggs -- and my neighbors might want some eggs, too," Eichner says.

Born on the 16-acre farm, Richard Eichner is a third-generation farmer. He was named after his grandfather, John Richard, a German immigrant who bought the land in 1897. A carpenter, the original ancestor built the station for the Harmony Short Line trolley that was at the bottom of Richard Road. The road the farm is on was named for him and was close to a foot trail that now is busy Route 19. His mother, Teresa, also was born on the farm.

"Mom remembered the Indians stopping to get water here when she was a kid," he says.

In 1955, Richard married. He and his wife, Vi, have four children, all of whom helped on the farm -- which market visitors often call "a bit of heaven" -- and on the egg route during summer vacations.

The couples' oldest children are identical twins, Ron and Don. The two totaled purchases and made change under the direction of grandfather Michael, Richard Eichner says.

"We remember going on the egg route with both dad and grandfather," Ron Eichner says. "Grandfather always said, 'Most importantly, don't cheat the customer.' "

So far, six of Richard and Vi's seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren have helped on the route.

"I tell them they are old enough to help out when they can add up totals in their head," Eichner says. "That's usually around age 11."

If it's not a Tuesday or Thursday egg-route day, Eichner is working on the farm, on and off the tractor in the fields. He and Vi visit with customers who come to the market and greenhouse the family built in the 1970s. The family raises turkeys for the holiday season, and prepares fresh bacon and sausage products. They are known for their homemade peanut brittle and cookies.

Eichner doesn't plan to retire from farming or the egg route. He hopes to be like his mother, who worked the fields into her 90s -- but he doesn't plan to add new customers unless they live on an existing route. He packs his green Suburban pickup, often before dawn, and spends the next 11 to 13 hours carrying a produce basket up and down city steps. He quietly makes donations and deliveries to the Little Sisters of the Poor and Light of Life Mission before returning home, often after dark.

And, it always is with a smile, his customers say.

"This family is so special, and the service is, too," says Susan Rooney of the North Side. "I hope they're always here. It's also such a special trip to the farm market with our children, and now our grandchildren."

Rooney was 5 when Eichner began egg deliveries to her family. She and husband Jamie have been second-generation customers since they were married 41 years ago. They recall a time when a neighbor was visiting, and the green pickup pulled up to the Rooney house. The neighbor never had heard of an Egg Man.

Susan explained: "That's our friend, Dick Eichner, who brings us eggs and bacon."

Photo Galleries

Additional Information:

Eichner's Farm Market

Hours: 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays

Where: 285 Richard Road, Wexford

Details: 724-935-2131