Home is where the heart is. The Home Show is where you can find the heart your house needs.
South Western Ontario’s biggest home show of 2017 ran from January 27th-29th. The Western Fair District played host to over 500 booths and retailers, and 1,400 visitors. It was a one-spot stop for home improvements.
Rebecca Wilcox is the administrative assistant for the London Home Builders Association. She says events like this can give you more bang for your buck.
“Big thing now is ‘click and buy’. Everybody wants to shop online. Here you can come and see things, you can feel things, you can see the functionality of the item.”
As much as the event was about getting new and innovative items from store shelves to home shelves, it doubled as a platform for young entrepreneurs to make a debut.
Jesseca Parlee, VP of Biome, a company created by high school students through Junior Achievement, explains what her product is about.
“We’re selling paperweight plants. They start out as a ball, and they grow to be big. This opportunity teaches us a whole bunch of skills, and I get to learn all about business.”
Although the show has been an annual occurrence for 24 years, home innovations never run out. There are new things to always look forward to, from whirlpools, to fingerprint free refrigerators, and even efficient fireplaces.
Bigger and better things come every new year, making next year’s show another one worth going to.