By Chris Beattie, cbeattie@acnpapers.com

With more than 175 vendors — its largest showing yet — the upcoming third annual Collin County Home & Garden Show is set to run the home-improvement gamut.

“It will have something for everyone, whether they’re trying to purchase or just looking for ideas,” said Pam Rogers, corporate sales director for Show Technology, the show’s promoter. “If you can imagine it, it’s there.”
The show, which sold out vendor space in November, will run Feb. 17-19 at the Allen Events Center, off Stacy Road in Allen. It will feature its largest-ever array of exhibitors, boasting everything from landscapes, appliances and countertops, to cabinetry, spas and home security systems.

“The community there is building faster than the roads,” she said. “It’s just been so well-attended and well-received in the market; there’s so much desire to participate because the community has really embraced the show.”
Donna Moss and Brian Santos from HGTV will be at the show to provide interactive seminars on their respective expertise, during which they’ll answer visitors’ questions and help solve their home or garden dilemmas.
Moss, dubbed the “Queen of Bling,” hosts HGTV’s “Donna Decorates Dallas” and will be available for questions, autographs and demonstrations Saturday, Feb. 18 and Sunday, Feb. 19.
Brian Santos, host of the TV show “Wall Wizard Workshops,” will share eco-friendly painting tips and techniques at different times throughout the weekend.
“The neat thing about Brian is he does a very interactive, hands-on seminar that really allows the guests to be involved,” Rogers said. “It’s a unique opportunity to get a professional opinion.”
Show Technology hosts similar shows around the country, but because of its San Antonio base, Rogers said the company’s top priority remains in Texas, particularly in places quickly expanding like Collin County.
All vendors come from the D-FW area, she said, and thus keep the improvement — in and outside the home — within their immediate surroundings.
“It allows the people in the community to interact face to face with their local businesses,” she said. “It helps build jobs, drive money into the community, and it keeps the dollars local.”
Offering everything “from the front door to the backyard,” Rogers said, the annual exhibition contains every option of home improvement — facets as simple as garden graters or as complex as home theaters. And it’s all in one place.
“You don’t have to drive around or shop around at different competitors,” she said. “Everyone is there, so you can look at one countertop then walk down six booths to see another.”
Pest control, plants, bathtubs and beds are just some of the featured products and services at the show every year. Gourmet food tastings, salsas and jams will be available for guests who build up an appetite from their constant booth browsing.
Potential visitors can access show details and vendor appearances at www.showtechnology.com. They pay once for the entire weekend and can come and go as they please.
In a rough economy, few residents have everything they want and need for their homes, which is why the show’s vast, central selection could be peaking at the right time.
“Home improvement is a multi-billion dollar industry; probably the number one investment people have is their home,” Rogers said. “With the current state of affairs, they can’t just move, so they have to improve.”
The Collin County Home & Garden Show will run 2-7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17; 10 a.m. — 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18; and 11 a.m. — 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19. It will be at the Allen Events Center at 200 E. Stacy Rd., Suite 1350, in Allen.
Admission is $9.50 for adults 17 and older, and $7.50 for seniors 65 and older. Children 16 and under get in free.