A new home improvement products trade show debuts Downtown this weekend, but it's more than just products and services for around the house.
The inaugural "Ideas & Inspiration Home Show" opens at 10 a.m. Friday in the main hall at the Osborn Center with a lineup of more than 100 exhibitors – some familiar vendors, some vendors new to a home show in Jacksonville – plus art, culture and live music scheduled each day through Sunday.
Hillary Carpenter, creator and promoter of Ideas & Inspiration, managed Jacksonville's spring and fall shows for 11 years. That provided her the opportunity to take notes and collect ideas for when she would present her own show.
"This show is more of an entertainment event focused on home improvement," Carpenter said.
Special guests scheduled to appear onstage at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Friday and Saturday are Matt Fox and Shari Hiller, hosts of "Room by Room," the first show produced for the HGTV cable network.
Carpenter said they hold the record for the longest-running home-improvement show in TV history, with more than 350 episodes shown in 90 million homes in 12 years.
The O.C. Band is scheduled at 5:30 p.m. Friday and one-man band Albert Simpson is onstage at 5:30 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. Sunday.
The entertainment part of the show concludes with bluegrass band Back from the Brink on stage 2:30-4:30 p.m. Sunday.
Carpenter said she booked the entertainment based on her experiences attending music festivals throughout the Southeast.
In addition to traditional home-show presenters like contractors, decorators and artists will display their wares, such as a glass blower who makes art glass cabinet and drawer pulls. Other artists will show hand-sculpted fountains and tie-dyed tapestries and linens, Carpenter said.
A custom-built two-story dog house will be raffled with proceeds benefiting First Coast No More Homeless Pets.
"I wanted to create a completely different atmosphere. Ideas & Inspiration is more like a family outing and less like a hardcore home show," she said.
The show is open 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.
For the entire schedule and ticket information, visit ideasandinspirationhomeshow.com.
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