We are heading back to the Home and Garden Show!

We are making our plans, for what has now become a yearly trip to the Minneapolis Home and Garden Show. The show runs February 25 – March 1. Honestly, it gets to be a long week displaying at the show. However, it is always exciting to see the new trends and products that show up. This year the idea home has an active lifestyle theme. Design experts have found that active people prefer a smaller home because they spend less time in their home. That means an efficient use of space is necessary, so it will be interesting to seeing the idea home while taking a break from our booth.

I don’t think a lot of people know about shopping at the show, but there is a flower market and new for this year, a boutique will be open for three days of the show. Of course, the annual plant sale that takes place the last evening of the show is always a hit with gardeners.

Each year there are some celebrities, typically of the HGTV variety and this year is no different. Ty Pennington will be making an appearance. I’m sure Ty will be entertaining, but what I’m looking forward to (and most likely won’t get to see), is the Beekman Boys. You may not be familiar with the Beekman Boys, but they have an interesting story.

The Boys are Josh Kilmer-Purcell and his partner Brent Ridge. Purcell was an advertising exec and author, Ridge a physician and former VP of Martha Stewart’s Healthy Living. The two purchased the historic Beekman 1802 farm eight years ago. Somewhere along the way they took in a neighboring farmer and his herd of dairy goats. Then they began producing soaps and cheese. They learned more and more from other neighboring farmers, paired that with their marketing knowledge and now have one of the hottest lifestyle brands in the country.

Their community came together to host seasonal festivals, which have become very popular. And of course, they now have their own reality television series, The Fabulous Beekman Boys, which airs on the Cooking Channel. Their message includes notes of hard work, living off the land, and sharing with your neighbors. I can respect that. They were successful guys who bought a farm and that decision took them on quite an adventure they hadn’t planned on. It will be fun to hear them tell the story. (Look for that Thursday and Friday)

While we will be hard at work at the Home and Garden Show, but we hope you have a relaxing time.  Also, take advantage of Metro Transit’s free ride to the Minneapolis Convention Center and click here https://www.microspec.com/tix123/eTic.cfm?code=MINIHG2015

for discounted admission tickets. Enjoy the amazing smell of spring with The Twin Cities Best Backyards garden display. Do a little ooing and aahing in the Innovation Alley display – where all the latest home gadgets are unveiled. Of course stop by to see us, we will be located in Booth # 3012  . I also suggest eating ice cream while you’re there. No real reason, it just helps it feel even more like spring! Check out their website for more information.  http://homeandgardenshow.com/MHGS/EventsHome.aspx