PARKERSBURG - Snowfall throughout the weekend may have kept some people away from the 2010 Great American Home Show, but many still braved the weather to see what was available locally for home repair and renovation projects this year.
The home show started Friday and concluded Sunday at the former Big Bear building in the Park Shopping Center next to the traffic circle. The home show is sponsored by the Home Builders Association of the Mid-Ohio Valley with around 70 vendors participating in the three-day event.
"Obviously, the snow (Saturday) dampened the attendance," said John Farnsworth, the association's executive officer. "We were down about two-thirds on attendance (Saturday), but (Sunday) it is doing very well.
"Once in a while the weather does get you."
Although the recession has hit many construction businesses hard nationwide, it has not hit as hard locally, Farnsworth said.
"It hits our area a little later than the rest of the nation, but it has finally settled into this area and there is some slowness," he said. "The local homebuilders are keeping fairly busy, but they look to this local home show for new business for when the weather breaks in the spring and to give them a good springboard into summer."
Farnsworth said the event had about the same number of vendors this year as it had last year, covering whatever people might need for their homes.
The Great American Home Show has been an annual event in the area for more than 30 years and remains popular with local residents. Although the overall numbers have been down for this year's show, many vendors still made contacts for possible business in the coming months.
"The ones who have come and braved the weather, they have been serious," said Tim Hanlon, owner of Grogg's Heating and Air Conditioning Inc. "We have gotten some good solid leads.
"It is always nice when people give you their name and number and tell you to call them. We have quite a few pages of those. It has been pretty good."
Many of the people Hanlon talked to are people looking to add on to their homes or wanting to replace their furnaces. A lot of people are not building new homes, but making additions to their existing homes.
"People are willing to put the money into their own homes," Hanlon said. "There are some many tax credits available to upgrade your heating system or add insulation and even change out doors for more energy efficient doors.
"Those things are driving a lot of the business. Many people are thinking about room additions and I am even thinking about doing one myself. Now is a good time to do it as some contractors may not have as much to do right now. Now is a good time to get some of these guys."
People who traditionally come to the show are those who might be looking to have some work done; those who are thinking about having work done and seeing what is available; and those who are just curious and are out seeing what is available.
"Some were here last year looking for ideas and came back this year, because this is the year they are going to do it," Farnsworth said. "Attendance was down (Saturday), but the people who were here were here for a reason."
Bill Cottrell of Belpre came to the show Sunday out of curiosity
"We just like to look around and see what is new," he said. "We enjoy seeing what people have on display. We come every year."
Peggy Byers of Marietta said she came out to get ideas for renovations they want to do to their home, starting with some upstairs bathrooms and bedrooms.
"We are looking for some new ideas," she said. "Our home is 30 years old. The kids are gone and it is time to refresh so we are getting some new ideas here.
"We are just trying to see what the newer things are."
Bill Miller of Marietta is looking to put a new roof on his home and was shopping around to see what was available.
"I figured this would be a good place to get them all in one shot," he said. "I gathered a lot of good information.
"I have a good idea of what the markets are in this area."
Farnsworth said many people come every year to the home show to see what they could do to their homes.
"I am sure they get some really good ideas," he said.
