BRAG Ann Arbor “Home, Garden & Lifestyle” show returned after two years to a different marketplace, with “success” TBD

As an early indicator of things to come based on early experiences with local events rolling out in 2022, the Builders & Remodeling Association of Greater Ann Arbor (BRAG Ann Arbor) “Home, Garden & Lifestyle Show” is complex a consideration. [1,2]

In it preview, mLive lead with reference to the two years that have passed since vendors last made their pitches at Washtenaw Farm Council Event Center. The specter of COVID-19 as root cause continues to dominate news headlines. Energy costs are soaring, as the “national average price for gas increased to a record high for the fifth consecutive day” on March 11. [3-10]

That same day, Reuters reported: “US consumer sentiment near 11-year low; near-term inflation worries mount.” [11]

As if things could not have been any worse, on opening day, today, it was raining. [12]

Against all of that, this 2022 Home, Garden & Lifestyle Show appears to be out-of-the-gate with as much interest and engagement as any in recent memory. The number of booths and content therein were very well appointed and knowledgably staffed. Visitor aisles were abuzz with traffic — but never uncomfortably so — from entry Building G, on through to A.

Anecdotally, Saline Journal can report that transactions were being made in every segment. This included driveway, patio, and interior floor work; appliances; residential lawncare equipment; cookware; and bird-feeders.

The definition of “home” has unquestionably changed since the last BRAG Ann Arbor show in 2019. So, too, the time spent within. [13-15]

Some differences could be detected here in terms of offerings made more specialized to serve needs that had changed accordingly (eg, providing for security in package deliveries). For the most part, however, the interests most frequently heard discussed were for “upgrades,” “enhanced convenience,” and simply “new.”

Not surprisingly, the challenge to this palpable enthusiasm comes from ongoing supply chain and labor bottlenecks. At best, responses to these challenges were mixed. [16-20]

So, while the Builders & Remodeling Association of Greater Ann Arbor Home, Garden & Lifestyle Show looks to have come back for 2022 after a two-year hiatus without evidenced loss of momentum as a marketplace, the ultimate measure of its success will rest with exhibitors’ ability to deliver in the coming weeks and months of interests seen in the exhibit halls this weekend.

And that, unfortunately, remains almost totally outside of the control of everyone around here.

References

1. Builders & Remodeling Association of Greater Ann Arbor (BRAG Ann Arbor) (home page).
2. “Home, Garden & Lifestyle Show” BRAG Ann Arbor.
3. “See 120 vendors, live presentations at spring home and garden show in Ann Arbor” Jordyn Pair (March 8, 2022) mLive.
4. Washtenaw Farm Council Event Center (home page).
5. “Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)” CDC.
6. “Novel Coronavirus Reports” CDC.
7. “Barack Obama says he tested positive for COVID-19” Victoria Albert and Jordan Freiman (March 13, 2022) CBS News.
8. “Michigan’s pandemic politics: Campaigns won’t let you forget COVID-19 impact” Dave Boucher, Kristen Jordan Shamus, and Elissa Welle (March 14, 2022) Detroit Free Press.
9. “A surge in COVID-19 spurs new lockdowns in China’s cities” Emily Feng (March 15, 202) NPR.
10. “Gas prices soar to record high for fifth consecutive day” Wendell Husebø (March 11, 2022) Breitbart.
11. “US consumer sentiment near 11-year low; near-term inflation worries mount” Lucia Mutikani (March 11, 2022) Reuters.
12. “Young Frankenstein: It Could Be Worse, It Could Be Raining” John Murrill (November 15, 2017) YouTube (38 seconds).
13. “Changes in home cooking and culinary practices among the French population during the COVID-19 lockdown” Corinne Delamaire, Pauline Ducrot, Barthélemy Sarda, and Anne-Juliette Serry (January 1, 2022) Appetite.
14. “COVID-19 Pandemic Continues To Reshape Work in America” Juliana Menasce Horowitz, Kim Parker, and Rachel Minkin (February 16, 2022) Pew Research Center.
15. “Coronavirus pandemic adds $291 billion to US ecommerce sales in 2020-2021” April Berthene (March 15, 2022) Digital Commerce 360.
16. “Supply chain issues will continue well into 2022 — with a twist” Nikolaos Valantasis Kanellos and Sarah Schiffling (January 11, 2022) Fast Company.
17. “A Normal Supply Chain? It’s ‘Unlikely’ in 2022” Peter S Goodman (February 1, 2022) The New York Times.
18. “Supply Chain Shortages | Ask This Old House” This Old House (Februry 8, 2022) YouTube (8:37 minutes).
19. “Labor and materials might constrain remodeling growth, but the pandemic is only part of the story” Carlos Martín (January 24, 2022) Joint Center for Housing Studies, Harvard University.
20. “Construction Labor Market Remains Tight” (Februar 1, 2022) National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).