Sam Yeiter, Alliance Cabinet Systems, can talk to people at the Home & Outdoor Show about cabinetry. Photo by David Slone, Times-Union
Sam Yeiter, Alliance Cabinet Systems, can talk to people at the Home & Outdoor Show about cabinetry. Photo by David Slone, Times-Union
• •
There are more vendors at the 2023 Home & Outdoor Show this weekend than those that had a booth in 2022.

Tyler Miller, president of Builders Association of North Central Indiana (BANCI) and committee chair for the Home & Outdoor Show, as well as owner of Timber Rock Construction, said they have 86 vendors for the three-day event this year at the Warsaw Community High School Tiger Recreation and Activity Center (WCHS TRAC).

“Last year, we had 1,800 people come through, so we want to up that by quite a bit if we can,” he said Friday, the first day of the show. “We are full wall-to-warm. We are almost sold out (of vendor spaces) this year, compared to last year, so we are up quite a bit, up about a quarter of what we had last year.”

Saturday hours for the free show are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.

There are a “lot more equipment vendors in here. We’ve got a lot more landscapers this year that came, we didn’t have too many landscapers (last year), but there’s some really cool projects out here with landscaping that they spent a lot of time yesterday doing,” Miller said.

Other vendors are showcasing doors, windows, roofing, decking, garage doors, HVAC, plumbing and electrical. “You can really find everything here this year,” he stated.

Sam Yeiter, Alliance Cabinet Systems, said they build luxury cabinets in Warsaw from start to finish.

“They come in, we can talk to them about renovating their kitchen. We can handle all of them start to finish because we’re partnered with Synergy Services, which takes care of plumbing, heating and cooling and electrical,” Yeiter said.

Anything that’s cabinet-related, he said Alliance can take care of it, as well as closets.

Yeiter said Alliance is a member of BANCI and they want to support anything that the BANCI is doing. “Second, we want people to be able to come and see and touch and feel our product in person. It’s one thing to see it online, it’s another thing to be able to operate it and see how beautiful it is upclose.”

One of the landscapers at the show this weekend is DJ Fouce, owner of Fouce Landscaping.

“Today, we are promoting our retaining walls, fire features, pergolas, paver patios and water features. Offering our uni-lock material,” he said, pointing out the different styles and colors.

“We pretty much do entire outdoor spaces, from start to finish, from underground utilities all the way up to the final details of the plants. Fire features. Outdoor kitchens. Pretty much, if you want to live outside, come to us,” Fouce stated.

A member of BANCI and Chamber, he said Fouce Landscaping was invited to be a part of the show. “We also sponsor the high school, so the high school offered to have us here as well. We just like to be involved in the community and get our name out there and just show people we’re here in business.”

Joe Beechy, owner of Little Tots Creations, started his business a little over a month ago and had some of his work on display at the show Friday. He creates little outdoor furniture for children like swings, table with benches, a park bench and a small patio set. He also makes what he calls a double-beach chair. People can find his business north of Shipshewana.

The Warsaw Area Career Center also has its “Build Your Own Future” booth that is promoting the trades and getting students interested in them, Miller said, because the construction business needs employees.

Inflation has caused prices of everything to go up and the building industry has been obviously affected.

“In the last couple years, everything has went up significant, and then the lead times and the prices have started to level pit. Lead times are starting to come back down where they’re very manageable,” Miller said of the impact of inflation locally.

Asked if now was a good time for homeowners to start thinking about repairs, construction, etc., he responded, “It’s always a good time to be thinking of (it), because usually prices always continue to go up a little bit at a time, even in a recession. It doesn’t mean it’s going to fall off or go the other way, because once you bump up labor and those prices, it’s hard to pull them back down. It’ll continue to go up.”

While you’re checking out the various vendors, there also will be more food trucks this year than in 2022.

“You can eat and drink and have a good time and walk around,” he said.

BANCI is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year. Miller said the free Home & Outdoor Show - in its 44th year - is one of their main events that they put on annually and it’s been growing. Having it in one location year after year helps the show grow, he said. This is the third year it’s been held at the WCHS TRAC.

Kosciusko Connect is the premier sponsor for the 2023 Home and Outdoor Show. Cottage Watchman Security Systems is the gold sponsor.

Upcoming BANCI events include:

• April 1-2, Home & Outdoor Show, The Zone Sports Complex, Plymouth.

• June 19, Care for Kids golf outing, Tippecanoe Lake Country Club, Leesburg.

• Aug. 25, Care for Kids golf outing, Pretty Lake Golf Club, Plymouth.

• Sept. 22-24 Homes on Parade.

For more information, visit www.buildnci.com.