Homes take center stage at 3-day show
MARSHALL TWP — The annual Cranberry Home Show is expected to draw tens of thousands of people when it comes to town.
The event, held at the Four Points by Sheraton Pittsburgh North, will run Friday to Sunday.
Dominic Baragona, the organizer of the home show and employee of Mid America Events, said the Cranberry show is one of the most popular he sees.
This year's list of participants includes vendors from almost every facet of home design and décor, Baragona said.
That includes vendors specializing in kitchen and bath remodeling, window and door replacement and gardening, and more.
This is the seventh year of the event, Baragona said, and it only grows in popularity each year.
The event is free, as is parking, and is open to the general public.
“We have 120 exhibitors coming this year,” he said. “In the last week or so we've had to turn down several vendors because there's just not any space left.”
Baragona said the Four Points hotel offers an “intimate” setting for the home show and that the size of it works to the benefit of consumers and vendors alike.
“It allows vendors to have eye contact and meaningful conversation with the general public,” he said.
“And the people there don't get fatigued walking around through 700 different vendors.”
While there will be a wide array of vendors, Baragona said, there won't be a large number selling the same thing.That means consumers will have the chance to take in as much as possible without seeing a lot of duplicate products.Baragona has taken special care to ensure this year's event will be the best yet. That includes scheduling the show on a strategic weekend.“We went with the Super Bowl weekend because we figured we'd have a lot of success then,” he said.“People are in a festive mood and looking to be out of the home on that weekend.”Cranberry Township Manager Jerry Andree said the Cranberry Home Show is one of several opportunities residents have to meet with home-related companies.However, he noted that the increase in such shows in the area points to a healthy residential market.“Having a Cranberry Home Show is another demonstration by the private sector of the growth in residential homes in our area,” he said.“The show has minimal impact on the local economy, although it adds to the cumulative effect of the many events and activities happening in our area.”
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