Step right up and get your hot tub!
150 products on sale including charcoal toothpaste and mermaid shimmer pillows
Like gunslingers in the Wild West, vendors at the PNE’s Marketplace are always at the ready. But instead of pistols, they brandish wireless headset microphones and the latest and greatest of household wares.
There are kitchen gadgets and cleaning products that promise stains will stay out. There’s the classic Vitamix booth, ShamWow-style cleaning cloths, air fryers and countless other ‘as-seen-on-TV’ products for curious fairgoers.
This year, mermaid shimmer pillows — throw cushions covered in sequined fabric that change colours with a touch — and charcoal toothpaste that turns your teeth black before turning them white are among the more than 150 products on exhibit, filling 45,000 square feet of space inside the PNE Forum during the Fair.
And while the Marketplace can seem overwhelming at times, what with the constant sales pitches and exhibitors vying for your attention, some like to take a different, kinder approach to standing out from the crowd.
“I really do love people and I want to show them the product and I want to make their experience at the PNE the best it can possibly be so it’s a nice smile, a ‘good morning’ and a ‘hello’ that could really change someone’s day,” said Denise Duncan.
Duncan, who is based in Vancouver, has been a professional pitchwoman for nearly 25 years. She considers herself in the business of human relations, rather than sales.
This year, Duncan is working the counter for Vineyard Elite, demonstrating what they call “the perfect wine opener.” The bottle opener uses air compression to release corks from wine bottles without force, unlike the traditional corkscrew.
As the crowds ebb and flow, Duncan banters with fairgoers, laughter rising when Duncan jokes that “wine is cheaper than therapy.”
“I do put on a performance but that’s just who I am naturally — I’m a very animated person, and when you can put a smile on someone’s face, that’s the recognition for me, for my career,” she said. “A lot of times, people are drawn to give you their business by you giving them the attention and gratification that they need, to be paid attention to.”
Across the fairgrounds, Coast Spas sales manager Jon MacAulay has a more laid-back approach to sales. After all, he’s at the Fair to sell hot tubs, the universal symbol of relaxation.
The local manufacturer also sells swim spas, luxury patio furniture, fire tables and umbrellas, some of which are on display and come as part of the PNE Prize Home giveaway set up next door.
“You’d be surprised but hot tubs are a staple at a lot of fairs across Canada and the United States,” said MacAulay, adding that Coast Spas is the PNE’s exclusive hot tub vendor, and has been at the Fair for more than 20 years.
MacAulay said Coast Spas offers some of their best pricing during the PNE and that, because of their longtime presence at the Fair, there are those who come specifically to shop for a hot tub.
“It’s caramel corn and mini doughnuts at the PNE, it’s not really hot tubs, but on an average year, we’ll do 100 plus spas here so there’s quite a lot of business,” he said.
But this is one thrill ride you won’t be able to climb into.
“Yeah, please don’t,” said MacAulay with a laugh. “Every year, someone always wants to hop in and take it for a test drive.”