By Mary Ann Bourbeau
LINCROFT – Area residents can get their home and garden projects off the ground next week when the Jersey Shore Home Show springs into town.
The show is a great place to meet area home professionals and gather ideas for future projects. The three-day event will take place Feb. 26-28 at Collins Arena at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft. Homeowners will have the opportunity to meet more than 150 home improvement specialists all under one roof. Builders, contractors, decorators and landscapers will be on hand to talk about their services. Visitors can find valuable information and ideas about kitchen and bath remodeling, flooring, patios, roofing and siding, and many other products and services.
“I think for people who are looking to remodel their home, it’s a good place to find answers,” said Stephanie Kucharski, associate producer of expos for Townsquare Media Group, the company running the event. “You could do online research, but it’s nice to meet people face to face. You might also find things you didn’t think you needed for your house. It’s nice to have it all under one roof.”
Some area exhibitors include Decorator’s Choice Closets of Shrewsbury, Majestic Exteriors of Colts Neck, Just Landscapes of Freehold, Superior Siding and Roofing of Ocean, Design Line Kitchens of Sea Girt and NJR Clean Energy Ventures of Wall.
There will also be vendors offering information on basement waterproofing and remodeling, sunrooms, modular homes, tile, gutters, water conditioning, windows, awnings, home security, fencing and decks, solar panels, roofing and pools. Financial companies will also be on hand to help homeowners find a way to pay for it all.
“It’s a pretty wide mix of companies,” said Kucharski.
This year’s special guest will be Stephen Fanuka, host of the HGTV show “Million Dollar Contractor.” Fanuka, who has worked with some of the world’s top architects and designers, will host 45-minute workshops along with a meet and greet at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday, and 1 p.m. Sunday.
Tom Paolino, owner of Millennium Stone Works of Colts Neck, will be among the exhibitors Paolino, a third-generation mason, has been in the business for 22 years and has taken part in the Jersey Shore Home Show for nine years.
“It’s a great way to introduce yourself to people,” he said.
Millennium offers landscape design services that can include multilevel patios, fireplaces, firepits, waterfalls, outdoor kitchens, pizza ovens and outdoor entertainment systems.
“I love to create,” Paolino said. “It gives me a lot of pleasure.”
Tom Klahre of Shrewsbury-based Decorator’s Choice Closets will be on hand to talk about the latest trends, such as building drawers inside the closet so the homeowners don’t need a dresser.
“A lot of people want a jewelry safe in their bedroom closet,” he said. “We have one that is tied into the studs and you open it with a fingerprint. Some people want one under the bed so they can reach their pistol in about five seconds. It’s pretty cool.”
Klahre said customers these days are looking for garage cabinetry, rich-looking closet doors, or a small desk inside a pantry that can be used for paying household bills or wrapping gifts. He even built a three-level clothing rack in a closet with high ceilings, where the racks are spring-loaded and can be pulled down for use.
“We design a 3-D picture on the computer with the exact dimensions of the project so people can see exactly what they’re getting” Klahre said. “Whatever the customer wants is what they get.”
Klahre said appearing at the Jersey Shore Home Show has been beneficial to his business in the past, but he is glad that the scheduling for this year’s show was better than last year.
“Last year, they had it during the football playoff game,” he said. “Thank God they didn’t do that again.”
The Jersey Shore Home Show will take place 1 to 8 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $8 for adults; children 17 and under are free. Seniors age 65 and up pay $6 on Friday only. Parking is free.
This year, there will be a sweepstakes where one lucky winner will receive $5,000 to be spent at the exhibitor of their choice. For more information, visit www.jerseyshorehomeshow.com.
Arts and entertainment writer Mary Ann Bourbeau can be reached at mbourbeau@tworivertimes.com. Find her on Twitter @MaryAnnBourbeau.
