BLOOMINGTON — Diane Spurgeon and her husband usually find their own way when taking on home-improvement projects, but this year they ventured into the Bloomington-Normal Home Show to see what they could find.
“We’re kind of redoing our kitchen and we thought we’d come out here and get some ideas,” said Spurgeon of Normal.
She was one of thousands who stopped by the Interstate Center on Saturday looking for a business that could make the difference in their home projects. The Home Show is sponsored by the Bloomington-Normal Area Home Builders Association.
“I think it’s definitely more a remodel year than it is a building year, just because building has slowed down so much in the Bloomington-Normal area,” said Lisa Kohn, executive officer for the home builders association. “People are just choosing to stay put, I think, and doing what they can to their current home.”
The three-day show continues Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Local businesses, like Nordine Remodeling, come out to the Home Show every year and draw in homeowners looking to make improvements.
“(The show) gets a lot of people interested. We have had quite a few customers come from this,” Dorothy Nordine said.
“We’re full service. We can do anything from your roof, windows, kitchens, bathroom, room additions, decks — we’re everything. We’re a one-stop shop.”
Central Illinois businesses filled 215 booths at the show, displaying services like siding, basement work, garage doors, water purifying, gutter cleaning and interior decorating.
With so many resources under one roof, potential customers could collect information, quotes and samples.
“We had a line when we opened the door, so that’s a good sign,” Kohn said, adding attendance has increased from recent years.
Thanks to the nonstop foot traffic, Jordan Seniff at the MetroNet booth said the business already was running out of flyers by midday Saturday.
Several new businesses were represented at the show, including a few solar energy companies.
Kohn said newer, more enticing displays from the vendors who make an appearance every year has helped to boost the show as well.
Oak Bros. Tree Removal and Stump Grinding went big and brought in a work truck, complete with a tree trunk trapped in its claw. Kids who stopped by the booth walked away wearing yellow plastic construction helmets — though a few babies preferred to use them as teething toys.
The Zoo Lady painted faces at CEFCU’s station, sending tigers and dragons to venture out into the rows of booths.
Kids also flocked to the LKM Mowing and Landscaping booth where a sample backyard with real flowers was installed and workers distributed stamped balloons.
Besides the vendors, the Home Show also features a lineup of educational, do-it-yourself clinics throughout the weekend, including a guide to replacing windows starting at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Contact Kelsey Watznauer at (309) 820-3254. Follow her on Twitter: @kwatznauer.
