ABQ HOME REMODELING & LIFESTYLE SHOW
Feature Story
There is still a nasty chill in the air, especially in the early mornings, but the days are warming up and that means spring is on the way. That means it is time to start getting ready for projects, whether adding some oomph to the garden, tinkering with the landscaping or transforming the look of the old homestead.
That's why the Albuquerque Home Remodeling & Lifestyle Show at EXPO New Mexico, at the New Mexico State Fairgrounds, is always such a popular event, said owner Bill Lescure.
“This is the time of the year people start thinking about spring projects,” he said. “It's the end of February, days are starting to get warm and the days are starting to get longer. You can tell spring is right around the corner, it gets the endorphins moving. People realize what they’re going to do this year.”
It’s a good time for the vendors, as well, as they begin to prioritize the coming workload.
“Our exhibitors are there and ready,” Lescure said. “They want to line up their spring work as well. It’s a good fit between the consumers’ needs and the exhibitors’ needs.”
The show runs Saturday from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Admission is $7, but there is a $2 discount coupon at the show’s website, abqhomeshows.com. Children under 12 are free.
“I think there’s a reason why people keep coming back and that’s because you never know when a home remodeling project is going to come up,” Lescure said.
Some projects have been in the pipeline for years, waiting for homeowners to find the means to execute their vision.
The Home Show, with more than 110 vendors displaying their wares and services, can provide savvy homeowners with ideas to prepare for a project, large or small.
“What we do is we give people a place to come twice a year to meet face-to-face with people who are right now ready to do those home remodeling projects for home owners when they’re ready for them,” Lescure said.
This year’s show has 250 booths spaces and almost 30 new vendors, so even longtime attendees will see something different. Over the course of the weekend, some 5,000 people are expected to browse through the many stalls, he said.
“From whatever it is you need around your house, I think we’ve got somebody exhibiting at the show who can assist you,” Lescure said. “If you’re looking for anything from roofing to flooring, we’ve got somebody. We’ve got experts. We have most of the larger companies in town in that sort of field.”
For the vendors, the show is an invaluable means to reach customers interested in their product or service, said Karen Wike, owner of I’m the Blind Lady.
“Home shows with a theme, like home improvement, have a majority of the vendors are geared for that purpose,” she said. “So you have a venue where people are interested in seeing what’s new and different from what they have now.”
Additionally, it frequently gives the customer a chance to meet the business owner, Wike said.
“They can touch and feel and see and talk to somebody,” she said. “You can gather so much more information that way. Nearly everybody walking through that door is a home owner or interested in improving the space that they live in.”
Home Modifications Solutions is a business new to the show, but Staci Johnson-
Davis, vice president of business development, said the company is looking forward to the event to showcase their expertise in aging-in-place suggestions.
“This is important if not for the people who need it themselves, but for their children,” she said. “They come across our booth and see what we can do and have a conversation, maybe not even for them, but maybe for their parents that may need something.”
Johnson-Davis said the booth will have ramps, grab bars and bathtub conversions, as well as plenty of photos of completed projects to show people what’s possible.”
Vendors can’t really take too much to show off what they can do, Wike said.
“I want to take my entire showroom, but of course I can’t,” she said. “I’m going to take half of my displays. I rent one of the largest sections that I can. I put out as much product as I possibly can. There’s a lot that’s new. You have an audience and you want the audience to see as much as you possibly can.”
There are so many different vendors it’s hard to categorize them all, Lescure said.
“We’re increasing the number of financial services and insurance providers,” he said. “They have everything from college plans to home insurance to mortgages and investments. They’ve got experts in all of those fields. We have more this year than we’ve ever had. And we have a few new food vendors, several from out of state, bringing some interesting new products for people to try and we appreciate them coming to New Mexico.”
The bottom line, Lescure said, is that if someone is looking for some home improvement ideas, this is the place check out.
“These days, there are lots of ways to connect to home remodelers that weren’t available before,” he said. “Online services, home advisors, will definitely put you in touch with someone, but there’s nothing at all like speaking face-to-face with a contractor or an expert who can help you. That’s why shows like ours will have a continuing importance and it’s why we get an audience of interested home owners coming to each and every show we put on.”