A few thousand people hit the Trade and Convention Centre this weekend for the 28th annual Penticton Home and Reno Show.
It is, after all, nearly spring. Is there a better time to start thinking about all the stuff you’ve been ignoring – or wanting to improve – around your home?
Just five bucks got you in the door and gave you access to 100-plus local and regional vendors.
Prior to kick-off, Sarah Taylor, event spokesperson and executive officer of organizing body Canadian Home Builders' Association South Okanagan, was straight-up about what to expect.
"We'll have experts in flooring, windows, landscaping, hardscaping, pools, hot tubs, HVAC, window coverings, electrical, and more," she said. "There'll be designers, painters, furniture people, pergola people, barbecue people. We have everything."
One of those vendors was "Artisans of Lux," a business based in Peachland that melds interior cabinetry with sculpture and is run by married couple Natasha and Rio Gottschlich.
"We do kitchens and bathrooms and we can do whole home renovations," said Rio. "We come in, evaluate the space, make suggestions, build and design. But we can also shut up and do whatever you want."
Artisans of Lux opened just a year ago and figured the Home and Reno Show was a smart move.
"We want to promote our product," said Rio. "We want to get out there. Trade shows are just coming back after the pandemic, and this is a good spot.
"There are a lot of people here and a lot of businesses here with actual jobs, with future contracts. So that’s a good sign."
Meanwhile just a few booths west, the folks with the Okanagan Men in Kilts franchise, based in Kelowna, were doing their best to let locals know they now service Penticton (and beyond) as well.
"We do window cleaning, gutter cleaning, pressure washing and gutter cleaning," said franchise owner Terry Carmichael. "We do snow removal too, but not quite in Penticton yet."
According to Carmichael, the company is happy with their performance in Kelowna and wants to reach out to other markets.
"So we're at the show because people don’t know were here," he said. "All weekend we’ve had people saying they didn’t know we service Penticton. And that's a problem.
"We need them to know we're here for them, and we think we're doing that. We usually like to see 60 people (at their display) at any home show, wherever it is. And we already passed that point yesterday."
For Hugh McClelland of Naramata, a guy some will remember from his days with the Naramata Bench Wineries Association, the event was far more than a mere lark.
"I want to put up a new deck this summer," he said, "and I'm looking for suppliers. And also to see if there are any cool new things you can do to make a deck nicer."
McClelland told us he'd been there only a short while and had already picked up some valuable tips and info.
"I haven’t even left the lobby yet," he joked.
"But I've been to the show in the past and always found it useful. I always come away with something. Two years ago I found the right supplier for a new garage door.
"It's just so much better than driving around to different places. I spend a couple hours here and have the right conversations and then I know who to follow up with."
