Home show comes to a close

Raleigh, N.C. — Vendors at the Raleigh Spring Home Show had been hoping for a boost to their bottom lines during the three-day exhibit at the Raleigh Convention Center, and it may have panned out.

Vendors with whom WRAL News spoke Sunday said that the crowds were better than they expected and that many who attended were serious about making improvements to their home.

"This is the first time we've done this show, and we were pretty overwhelmed with the response,” vendor Frank Hurst said.

Thousands of people attended the show. Organizers' motto this year was, "Don't move–Improve."

“We ran out of catalogs, business cards, (and) we even ran out of Jolly Ranchers,” Hurst said.

"The people that came were really wanting to purchase something,” vendor Gail Taylor said.

With the slumping economy, consumers were shopping to find rock-bottom deals.

“That is one of the reasons I came out here. ... I was wondering if they would work with me a little more. (However) everybody was about the same price,” homeowner James Warren said.

Price was a big concern, but vendors said consumers seemed willing to spend when it came to home improvements.

“Most people, if they are going to stay and talk with you for at least 30 minutes, they are serious,” Taylor said.

It is not cheap to set up a booth at the Raleigh Spring Home Show. It cost one vendor $2,000.

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Latest Comments

I hope to be at the Ideal Home Show to promote my Home Staging business. Thank goodness we do homerepairs. And yes because of the economy this is a plug to the two people that are going to read this article to begin with. ;)

TeresaBee
February 23, 2009 8:42 a.m.

Why is anyone surprised at this? The same holds true for many other sectors of the economy.

When new car sales plummet, used car sales pick up and mechanics make a killing.

When new appliance sales drop, those who repair home appliances rake in the business.

When certain foodstuffs get too expensive, people turn to age-old techniques of canning so the industry which supplies those needs booms.

When the price arts and crafts as decorative items or as gifts get out of reach, people turn to doing it themselves and those who supply knitting, painting, macreme, or any other craft supplies and training see an increase in business.

People even start turning to making their own clothing with that strange, almost unknown device called a sewing machine. Jo-Anns up. Macy's down.

It seems that the only people who have significant problems with a downturn in the housing market are developers. They can build them new, but can't adapt to fix what has already been built.

Poor babies.