By Andy Gutierrez
Murphy News Service
The Minneapolis Home and Garden show will feature top chefs and over 700 unique home exhibiters at the Minneapolis Convention Center from Feb. 25 to March 1.
The event is one of many held across the country that allows audience members to participate and gain hands-on experience from professional exhibiters, said Martin Egli, a show manager of the event.
“We’re focused on creating a marketplace and bringing it to the public,” Egli said. “I’m blown away by how they do it, why they do it, and the amount of effort that they put into their products.”
Top chefs from around the Twin Cities are not the only one’s expected to attend. Home décor specialists and innovative trend-makers will also be speaking and performing, Egli said.
Although the event aims to highlight exhibitors from our area, experts will come from all around the country, according to the event website.
Ursula Carmona, a mother of three, blogger and co-creator of HomeMadeByCarmona, will be traveling from her home in Cleveland, Ohio to give Minneapolis homeowners several do-it-yourself tips.
Ursula Carmona.
Using her decorating skills and fervor for learning, Carmona has gained a faithful following in her blog-turned-business that began almost three years ago.
“I started doing it as a hobby, but it almost from the very beginning took off,” Carmona said. “ It soon became a business as well as a passion.”
As a speaking expert at Home and Garden next week, Carmona aims to teach consumers how to beautify their homes at affordable rates.
“Really it’s just about making your home more personable to you, on a budget,” Carmona said. “ We’re talking about doing it in a way that it functions like a dream.”
Carmona promises to give a “super budget break-down” during her talks, from learning to upholster a headboard to building furniture.
The creativity and passion that experts like Carmona put into their exhibits are representative of the entire event, Egli said.
“The funnest part for me is to see what the exhibitors put together,” Egli said. “When you walk around the show and see the displays, they are just incredible. You get to see their way of doing things, all that kind of stuff. “
The five-day event is expected to have an estimated 70,000 visitors.
“You’ll see everything you could ever imagine to do with home,” Egli said. “You’re going to get inspired and get those creative juices flowing no matter what.”
For more information on ticket prices and event details, visit the HomeandGardenShow website.
Andy Gutierrez is a student studying journalism at the University of Minnesota.