Suburban Indy Spring Home and Outdoor Living Show returns for 7th year

Suburban Indy spring show at Grand Park this weekend – 9 a.m. News 8 coverage

WESTFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — Hundreds of businesses from across central Indiana returned to the Grand Park Events Center to show off the latest in home and gardening trends ahead of spring.

On Friday, the Suburban Indy Spring and Outdoor Living Show opened for its 7th year.

The show features over two hundred booths with home improvement inspiration and tips. Others will have local vendors selling crafts, plants, and more.

Showrunner Donnell Heberer Walton says the show continues to grow as many exhibitors are finally returning to pre-pandemic demand.

“We’ve grown by 50 spaces,” Heberer Walton said. “That’s a lot whenever you’re talking 250, 100 different spaces. A lot of it is because … the landscapers, contractors, those people were working during the pandemic and they were very busy so they didn’t need shows.”

One of the newest vendors is Mr. Canary which makes and sells cloth pre-filled birdfeeders in retail stores across central Indiana.

The business runs with help from The Arc of Greater Boone County and Mainstreet Marketing Enterprises. It employs adults with intellectual disabilities.

Director of Mainstreet Marketing Nathaniel O’Dell says the show is a new way to elevate their services.

“It’s important for us because it’s a chance to do direct outside sales training programs with the people we serve,” O’Dell said. “Throughout this show will have four of the people we serve who are right here manning the booth with us, running the cash register, learning those skills — how to interact with customers and complete transactions.”

Meanwhile, Several businesses have become regulars to the show.

Natural Stone and Tile is based out of Castleton. Owner Laura Gunderman and her husband John travel to similar shows across the country promoting their stone products for backyards and homes.

This year they are introducing a new brand, OnFire BBQ. They are the sole distributor in U.S. of a new kind of woodfire stone cooking table imported from Italy.

“I just received one of those MailChimp emails saying, ‘Hey, what do you think of the product?’” Gunderman said. “And “I saw it and I fell in love with it. I reached out and we went from just an email blast to bringing the products in on a container and now we’re promoting and selling it nationally. It’s pretty exciting.”

For Grandview Landscaping it’s the fifth year they’re coming to the show. Manager Tyler Rickman says the industry is always changing, so the show is always a great marketing tool.

“Every project, every person has a different idea,” Rickman said. “Trend-wise, it’s a very difficult thing to answer. It’s all over the place.“

Several wineries and breweries will also be on display so visitors can ‘sip and shop.’

Also, throughout the weekend the show will have inflatable bounce houses for kids to play in. Sunday is Kid’s Day, featuring a magician, princesses, dinosaurs, and more.

Tickets are $5 online or $10 at the door. The show runs until 7 p.m. on Saturday and is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

The interview above is from News 8’s 9 a.m. Daybreak coverage. To watch coverage from our 8 a.m. broadcast, enjoy the video below.

200+ booths at Home and Outdoor living show – 8 a.m. News 8 coverage