Can't wait 20 days till spring? Maybe home & garden show will help

NILES

With sub-zero temperatures and probably more snow, it may be difficult to think spring, even though the season officially begins in 20 days.

Yet that’s what hundreds are doing based on the turnout this weekend at the 26th annual Nature Stone Mahoning Valley Home and Garden Show at Eastwood Expo Center.

More than 100 vendors of everything from kitchens and windows to landscaping and waterproofing are hoping that thoughts of spring cleaning and upgrades will bring customers despite the weather. Admission is free, which may be a factor in the large turnout.

“It’s a big plus and a lot more people will show up,” said Nicki Beil of Youngstown. Accompanied by her son, his fiancee Courtney Dean of Girard and her mother, the four were pricing kitchens, but had to stop and check out a display of soaps, perfumes and toiletries.

Another way to get into the mood is to smell and buy the fresh hyacinths offered by Colonial Gardens of Vienna. Manager John Hinely said he had purchased 400 pots of the spring flower and sold nearly half of them for $5 each by Saturday afternoon.

“I wanted to give everybody a taste of spring,” said Hinely, “so I bought them and they’re snapping them up.”

Another major draw is the huge display of hot tubs.

Read more about the show, which continues through 5 p.m. Sunday in Sunday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.