Growing success

Finding a parking spot seemed to be the only problem for this year’s Home and Garden show.

The 12th annual weekend-long event held at the CLE fairgrounds had more than a thousand people come to look at the booths, seminars and displays spread out across three buildings and the Sports Dome on Saturday. Cars parked all across the fairgrounds and also spilled over onto the Famous Players parking lot.

Tom Zegil, 80, took a break after walking around and sat in one of the chairs in the Sports Dome. He looked at his copy of Easy and Elegant magazine and said he wanted new windows for his sunroom.

"There is took much for me to look at," Zegil said. "I came because I was interested in getting something done and I knew that there would be a party here."

Zegil said all he needed now was a price and he would have his windows. He would start to build this summer.

Nicole Barrette and Derek Andon started on their first lap at the CLE fairgrounds. The couple moved from Sault Ste Marie with their three children so Andon could start his new job.

Andon said people at work encouraged him to come to the event to get to know the city a bit better.

"I just started my new job and wanted to check things out," Andon said. "We wanted to see what was there to offer."

Despite the number of people, not one attended Tom Boshcoff’s seminar. Boshcoff, sales and marking director for Winmar, focused his seminar on an environmentally friendly method of removing an odor from material without damaging it.

Boshcoff said the restoration technology was originally used to clean hockey equipment. He said the method and technology used in cleaning and removing the odor is aimed more towards insurance brokers as it is cheaper to clean than to replace.

"It is a benefit to the insurance company," Boshcoff said. "We are reducing the amount of content that was just thrown out. We’re able to save sentimental items whatever it is: clothing, a teddy bear or anything."

Despite that no one came to his seminar, Boshcoff said he isn’t disappointed and planned to give the seminar again.

Judy Anderson, show chairwoman for the Home and Garden show, said the event had more than a 1,000 people came every hour on Friday.

"Our biggest problem is parking," Anderson said. "We got our vendors to park along the fence line so it opens up for the patrons."

Anderson said management at Famous Players understood the parking issue and worked to try to accommodate everyone.

Twelve years ago, the show started as a yard and garden show and then 10 years later, Anderson said they decided to expand with help from the Sports Dome. She said its incredible the number of people who came to the event.

"Who coined the phrase staycations?" she asked. "I think a lot of people are putting a lot of money into their home and gardens instead of going away. "

Anderson said the warmer weather helped to bring people in and remembered last year had three feet of snow.

The Home and Garden show concludes on Sunday at 4 p.m.