Spring fever
BILL BULEY | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 2 months AGO
Elaine Christen, owner of New Leaf Nursery in Hayden, sets up Thursday for the North Idaho Home and Garden Show at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds.
Tony Ball, left, and Brent Gertner with Precision Gutters and Roofing relax after finishing preparations Thursday for the North Idaho Home and Garden Show at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds.l
Boxes of materials are wheeled in Thursday for the North Idaho Home and Garden Show at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds.
Bill Buley covers the city of Coeur d'Alene for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He has worked here since January 2020, after spending seven years on Kauai as editor-in-chief of The Garden Island newspaper. He enjoys running. | March 3, 2023 1:08 AM
COEUR d’ALENE — One might think a few inches of snow the day before the North Idaho Home and Garden Show would be bad for business.
Wrong.
"Weather like this gets people all excited for spring," said Elaine Christen, owner of New Leaf Nursery in Hayden. "So when they see something like this, it really gets them in the mood."
Christen was among about 100 vendors setting up Thursday for the annual event put on by the North Idaho Building Contractors Association.
It offers pretty much everything, inside and outside, big and small, for home improvements and more.
Representatives of roofing, blinds, windows, credit unions, fiber optics, painting, wellness and other areas will be at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds from noon to 6 p.m. today, 10 to 6 Saturday and 10 to 4 Sunday.
"We get a lot of traffic," Christen said.
Guest speakers, scavenger hunts for adults and kids, special deals, free flowers and an array of giveaways and prizes await.
More than 4,000 people are expected to attend and can meet with builders, remodelers, designers, landscapers and other specialists.
"Right now with the snow, I have spring fever," said NIBCA's Emily Bradley. "As soon as that snow melts, people are ready for spring."
Christeana Ruegsegger with LeafGuard said the Home and Garden Show is a great opportunity to connect with customers and highlight products and services.
"We do a lot of business at the Home and Garden Show," she said.
Jolleen Severns, owner of LakeSide Architecture, said it's their first time in the show.
She said it's been busy as of late in both the residential and commercial sectors.
After 15 years with Architects West, Severns ventured out on her own and is looking forward to talking with guests.
Tony Ball and Brent Gertner with Precision Gutters and Roofing like being among the companies at the Home and Garden Show. It's not so much a competition as everyone pitching in to help each other.
"It's a great community to be around," Gertner said.
They've already put their talents to work.
"We even had to do some roof repairs down the way for one of the booths, so we’re already utilizing our skills," Ball said, laughing.
Tickets are $7 at the door, $5 with a donation of a nonperishable food item, $6 at nibca.com. Kids 10 and younger are free.
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