Winter deck clinics boos

I]ECK sales of pressure treated l/lumber, redwood and cedar are an all year event for dealers who promote the idea of "build inside this winter to use outside next summer."

Modular decks or small projects can be built in a basement or garage workshop regardless of the temperarure outside. Planters, benches, picnic tables, play equipment, sand boxes and post lamps as well as deck modules that fit together to form any size deck are excellent items to promote.

Some dealers have had outstanding results with winter deck clinics. A Minnesota retailer counted 40 con0ac- tors and about a hundred d-i-yers at two outdoor living project clinics he conducted on snowy midwinter afternoons. "People were definitely interested," he reported. "They held the instructors and vendors for over an hour after the regular sessions were over."

In addition to displaying a number of attractive pre-built projects and hiring pros from the local tech college as instructors, this dealer brought summer to Minnesota for the clinic. Although there was no sunshine outside, only snow, the clinic area was blooming with colorful flowers, trees and grass. A summer picnic of free hot dogs, chips, soda and iced tea added to the summer mood.

Other dealers have brought sunshine to their stores by trucking in sand, putting up beach umbrellas, providing sand pails and frisbees imprinted with the store's name and posing a few bathing suit models among the displays. Flyers, newspaper ads and radio blurbs plugged "summer's coming" prior to the clinic.

On average a consumer will spend just under $500 when he builds an outdoor project, the Western Wood Products Association points out. In addition to lumber, projects usually requirc fas-