BIA Home and Garden Show Preview 2020

Lynden show is your boost in home ownership

Ciscoe Morris is back with his entertaining gardening Q&A time at 1:15 p.m. Sunday

LYNDEN — e 2020 Home & Garden Show of the Building Industry Association of Whatcom County is March 6-8 on the Northwest Washington Fairgrounds in the Henry Jansen Ag Center building, as in the past.

is is the largest show of its kind north of Seattle, with about 120 exhibitors

this year.

e association itself is committed to “advancing home ownership,” as its motto states, and that is accomplished by doing advocacy for the industry, helping with referrals to members for various types of services and products o ered, and putting on programs and events such as the annual Lynden show.

is is the schedule:

• 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, March 6. It’s Ladies Night from 4 to 8 p.m. with pop-up shops, door prizes and a photo booth; beer and wine tasting during those same hours; and live music starting at 6:30 p.m.

• 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, March 7.

is is Family Day, with a chance for kids to meet characters Elsa and Anna and Captain America, visit the photo booth, get their face painted and nd the gnome. Brad and John of 92.9 KISM are producing their “classic rock” sound starting at 9:30 a.m.

Beer and wine tasting is again from 4 to 8 p.m., and live music at 6:30. A Knuckleheads live stage show is from 5:30 to 6:15 p.m.

• 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 8.

e entertaining gardener wizard Ciscoe Morris is back at the show, doing a “Stump or Be Stumped” Q&A on stage from 1:15 to 3 p.m. Following his presentation, Morris will sign copies of his new book “Oh La La!”

One-day admission is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors, with kids 15 and under entering free. Active and retired military personnel get in free as well.

It’s possible to buy tickets in advance using a link o the BIAWC website at https://whatcomhomeandgardenshow. ticketspice.com/whatcom-county-homegarden-show.

e Building Industry Association of Whatcom County is a private, nonpro t trade organization of builders, remodelers and other businesses related to the home building and construction industry.

Continued on next page

The Whatcom County Home & Garden Show on the Lynden fairgrounds is the largest north of Seattle. The year's event is March 6-8. (Lynden Tribune le photo)

Founded in Bellingham in 1978, BIAWC serves the interests of the industry in governmental a airs, professional development, social and networking opportunities and com-

munity service.

O ces are at 1650 Baker Creek Place in Bellingham’s Irongate District, phone 360-671-4247.

Calvin

Hollie and Tera are available to help both homeowners & contractors with any of their cabinetry needs. They would be happy to give you a free estimate for your new construction or remodel project.

—

Bratt Ciscoe Morris

Marr’s wants to keep the local family-owned emphasis

e emphasis at Marr’s Heating and Air Conditioning is on “family owned and operated since 1965” and the sense of quality and pride that goes with that.

is business was founded by Doug

Marr, who still lives nearby on the Mount Baker Highway. It is now in the experienced hands of son Ken and to a third generation in grandson Jacob Marr.

“It’s small family-owned and when you’re a customer you’re part of the family — which I feel you’re not getting a lot of these days,” said Kyle Beld, the estimator for Marr’s. “It’s a momand-pop with real professionalism and knowledge.”

Beld has been the one the last few years to put together the Marr’s booth in the Whatcom County Home & Garden Show, as he will again this year.

In it, he will make sure there is a good sampling of the products and manufacturer lines that Marr’s deals in: Daikin, Carrier, American Standard, Mitsubishi, Regency and Valor.

e lettering on the sides of seven service vehicles also tells what Marr’s is

about: heat pumps, furnaces, replaces, water heater, repair and maintenance. Wood and gas stoves are in the mix too. About the only device not handled is pellet stoves.

Most of Marr’s business is retro tting existing homes, Beld said.

“Our goal is to take the time to do it right,” Beld said. “We like to make sure

Home show a chance to ‘get our name out there and meet people’

Kyle Beld is ready to be the first homeowner contact for estimating a job with Marr's Heating and Air Conditioning. (Courtesy photo/Marr's Heating and Air Conditioning)

Marr's

Continued from C6

it’s done right the rst time and make sure it lasts.”

Across 55 years, the business has operated from the same location at 1677 Mt. Baker Highway, where at the beginning the Doug Marr family lived in an apartment above the business. So Ken Marr practically did grow up in the business.

“His parents started it when he was 3, so he’s got a lot of knowledge that we can use,” Beld said.

e family tone, rather than corporate, carries over to a real person answering the phone as well.

Marr’s sees all of Whatcom County as its range, but not beyond. It’s enough to keep 13 employees busy and preserve the family feel.

As for the home show, it is a chance to “get our name out there and meet the people,” Beld said, noting that it’s often interesting what questions will be raised by the people coming by the booth.

He hopes to have a Daikin heat pump actually operating there. ere will be some ra es and discount incentives.

— Calvin Bratt

Marr's Heating and Air Conditioning vehicles are everywhere, featuring the company's recognizable

logo. (Courtesy photos/Marr's Heating and Air Conditioning)

Great Floors in Bellingham is one of 16 in the Pacific Northwest

Great designs begin with great oors. What began as a road show through

Idaho and Montana in the 1970s with a carpet peddler selling wares from the back of his car has grown to prominence as one of the nation’s top specialty oor covering sellers, Great Floors.

at was decades ago and Bellingham is now one of 16 retail and commercial showrooms in the Paci c Northwest for the

privately owned company based in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

Bellingham store manager Derek Martin has been with the company for 14 years, back to when it was known as Carpet Exchange.

What is in the local showroom on West Bakerview Road? Almost anything you

could think of related to ooring and more. Tile. Hardwood. LVP. Natural stone. Carpet. Laminates. Area rugs. at’s the ooring side of the company, which now also has counters and a growing number of green options for building components.

‘Design a Room’ feature in the store lets you see how a choice will look

Great Floors is located at 346 West Bakerview Rd. in Bellingham. The business formerly was named Carpet Exchange. (Courtesy photo/Great Floors)

e company website offers the ability, with the “Design a Room” feature, to see di erent ooring in a customer’s home in advance of actually installing it.

Great Floors’ booth at the Lynden home show will exhibit samples of all its ooring, and there will also be a ra e for an area rug and related swag gifts with valuable ooring coupons — special just for show goers, Martin said.

What sets Great Floors apart? Installing what they sell and “we stand behind everything we sell,” he said.

“We take pride in our savings … and our partnerships,” Martin said.

Also, having their own trucks enables Great Floors to expedite product to customers and save on costs at the same time. Sales associates locally have over a decade of experience in the business.

Regular business hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

— Elisa Claassen Let your imagination run with the possibilities of flooring for your house when you visit Great Floors' booth at the 2020 Building Industry Association of Whatcom County Home & Garden Show in Lynden. (Courtesy photo/Great Floors)

Mt. Baker Mobile Mixing offers cost-effective concrete equipment for smaller tasks

Customers can use equipment or contract with the company for smaller pours

Ski slopes and remote islands may be di cult to access for cement mixers, but those places often need concrete just the same.

at’s where Mt. Baker Mobile Mixing comes in.

Founded by former Mt. Baker Silo owner Scott Hamstra in September 2018, Mt. Baker Mobile Mixing makes use of a volumetric mixer rather than showing up with a regular ready-mix truck.

“ e components are in separate bins and then it mixes as it comes out so the concrete’s as fresh as can be,” Hamstra said. “ en, when the hole’s full, you shut it o . ere’s no extra mix and you’re only billed for what you use.”

Hamstra said he does charge a mobilization fee but does not have a minimum charge in place, meaning if a customer, for example, wants to ll three quarters of a yard with concrete, he or she can certainly do that.

“It’s pretty cost-e ective with mixing it yourself without actually mixing it yourself,” Hamstra said.

e mobile mixing concept actually began while Hamstra owned Mt. Baker Silo.

“I bought the mixer back in 2004 for projects where we couldn’t get regular ready-mix trucks to,” he said. “Remote islands that wanted a water tank, and it’s been to the top of a few ski areas where you just couldn’t get the mixer trucks up the hill.”

When he sold the business in 2017, he decided to keep the mixer and give selling short loads a try.

e crux of these short loads is that they are cost-e ective. It’s not worth it for a concrete company to send a fullsize cement mixer out to a job with two or three employees to pour two square yards of concrete.

Hamstra also does some contracting, though the mixer is available for

customers to use themselves.

“If it’s a small project and I can do it myself because I don’t have any employees, I will pour you a hot tub pad or repair a spot in your sidewalk,” Hamstra said. “A lot of the big contractors, they don’t want to mess with those real teeny projects because it’s not real cost-e ective.”

Hamstra also has a dump truck and excavator on hand to help with whatever job the customer needs done.

Mt. Baker Mobile Mixing will be at the home show promoting its capability to do short loads in a cost-e ective manner. Visit mtbakermobilemixing.com for more information.

— Brent Lindquist

Scott Hamstra owns Mt. Baker Mobile Mixing, providing customers with cost-e ective equipment and contracting for smaller concrete pours. (Courtesy photos/Margaret Hamstra)

Solar system installer keeps ‘debunking myths’

Switching to solar power is something that anyone can do, not just those with large amounts of money. at’s one thing

Banner Power Solutions wants people to know.

“We spend a lot of time debunking myths about solar and demonstrating that it’s practical for everyday people,” marketing manager Paige Prescott said. “We engage in a lot of conversation about available solar incentives, how solar works, available solar technologies and nancing options.”

Banner Power Solutions, based in

Burlington in Skagit County, has had a booth at the BIAWC Home and Garden Show since 2015, using it as an opportunity to educate people on solar power as well as to customize options for di erent situations.

e installation of a solar panel system typically takes one to three days, depending on the size of the project. And then having solar power requires very little maintenance, Prescott said.

“All that we recommend is checking and monitoring, either on their computer or a phone app, to ensure that the array is working and to give the panels a good clean every one to two years to ensure that dirt, grime or debris aren’t inhibiting the solar’s production,” she said.

With fossil-fuel power bills seemingly rising every year, switching to solar power is a way to keep costs down far into the fu-

Continued on next page

Power savings and property value rise are gained from the initial investment in solar

Installing a solar panel array on a house pays o in energy savings and can add extra value when it comes time to selling the residence. (Banner Power Solutions)

ture.

“We have found that our average customer will save over $30,000 over the next 30 years, but have seen savings well above $100,000 for those with high electric needs,” Prescott said. “In addition to xing or reducing the rate for power and the incredible savings that come from going solar, studies have found that solar can increase home premiums by $3 to $4 per watt installed.”

at could mean about $30,000 of increased property value of a solar-powered home, Prescott said.

Banner Power Solutions is a full-scale electrical contractor. From generators to electrical vehicle chargers, the business also o ers customers most other electrical services.

Banner Power Solutions serves Whatcom, Skagit, Island and Snohomish counties.

“We are well-established, local and family-owned,” Prescott said. “We will be around for decades to o er electrical and other power solutions, making us an ideal choice for electrical work and solar installation. Our commitment to excellence and integrity has created a long-lasting track record of positive experiences for our customers.” — Hailey

Palmer

Fresh Space Redesign offers full project design

Home Show

offerings will feature exterior awnings, sunscreens

Fresh Space Redesign offers interior design services, but that description doesn’t quite do the company justice.

Owner and interior designer Jennifer Opatz has been a designer for more than 20 years, getting her start in the kitchen and bath sector. When she gave birth to her rst child, she backed away from full projects, but now Opatz is back taking on full design service.

“I’m no longer a full project manager for a project,” Opatz said. “I work with clients and then hand it over to a builder. We put together the packets for them.”

ese packets include speci cations, colors, drawings and more, all used by the builder to craft a space exactly as Opatz designs it.

“I’m there for the consultation part,” Opatz said.

A year ago, Fresh Space Redesign added a retail portion to its physical space, featuring home decor in a mix of new and vintage items.

“It’s pretty unique pieces

Continued on next page

The exterior of a Lake Whatcom home shows how Jennifer Opatz of Fresh Space Redesign can add her finishing touch to a place, especially here in the way of window coverings. (Courtesy photo/Andrew Opatz)

blended in with classic pieces,” Opatz said.

e third pillar of Fresh Space Redesign, in addition to design and home decor, is window coverings. ese will be featured prominently at the Fresh Space booth at the Lynden home and garden show.

“We specialize in window coverings,” Opatz said. “ at’s how we started our company. At the home show itself, this year we’re focusing on interior design and window coverings.”

For its exterior awnings and sunscreens, Fresh Space Redesign turns to Rainier Industries out of Seattle. Rainier has a new factory that works to zerowaste, opened a couple of years ago.

“It’s really cool to partner with them,” Opatz said.

Opatz has been designing in Whatcom County since 2003.

e company’s retail space is located at 6213 Portal Way in Ferndale. For more information on Fresh Space Redesign, visit freshspaceredesign.com.

— Brent Lindquist Get ideas and inspirations for interior home design from the resources of Fresh Space Redesign. (Katheryn Moran Photography)

1331 Meador Ave, #103 Bellingham, WA 98229

Radley Muller Photography will offer a photo-booth experience

Business-related photos are also part of the portfolio

e booth of Radley Muller Photography could, just possibly, be the most fun one at the 2020 BIAWC Home and Garden Show.

Why? Because of the extensive photo booth onsite.

Here’s how it works: You can jump into it by yourself or with friends. Each person gets a 4-by-6inch photo to take home, printed onsite during the Friday night Ladies’ Night. e theme is Mardi Gras this year, so expect, or create for yourself, lots of color and sparkle.

A photographer onsite will capture the memories and smiles — with props for participants to choose from.

is photo-booth experience that is showcased at the home show is available with Radley Muller for fundraisers, holiday parties, birthdays, weddings, corporate events, sporting events and whatever other event you may be imagining.

Previously known as Yary Photography, part of a franchise, the local operation is now Radley Muller Photography, directed by a photographer of 32 years experience, who also used his skills in the military.

Radley Muller calls himself “owner, shaker and memory maker.” His full-service studio, based in the business park at 4071 Hannegan Rd., also o ers real estate and architectural photography, and its use of

Continued on next page

Radley Muller Photography knows how to most suitably arrange the subjects for a photographic shoot, whether that is of a business or a home or involving people. (Courtesy photo/Radley Muller Photography)

a drone for aerial shooting is FAAcerti ed.

Of course, the range of portraiture and photography done by Radley Muller extends to business and executive, high school seniors, families, weddings, engagements, sports, clubs, dance and the photo-booth experience.

Radley Muller is hosting a drawing at the home show for a family portrait session and a 16-by-20-inch wall canvas of $600 total value.

Interested clients can schedule, check pricing and purchase their images online at www.radleyphotography.com.

e business hours of Radley Muller Photography at the Bellingham location are 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, with Saturday and Sunday by appointment. e phone number is 360-366-8050

Radley Muller is a liated with other businesses in the plaza at 4071 Hannegan Rd. including Homeport Interiors and Options Cabinetry and Interiors.

— Elisa Claassen

When you're proud of a house and how it looks,

Radley Muller Photography can permanently capture the image for the

future. (Courtesy

photo/Radley Muller Photography)

Petals & Blooms is all about home decor

Petals

on North Star Road near Ferndale. When you go there, you’ll likely be greeted by one of the two cats that patrol the grounds. e barn contains an array of decor, just about anything you could imagine, from outdoor amingos to indoor metal trucks, and wooden church windows — that last item being a best seller, by the way, according to owner Kathy McGuire.

McGuire started Petals & Blooms in 2015 by selling fresh-cut tulips and daffodils.

Now it’s her, along with daughter Erin Ebbesen and daughter-in-law Bre McGuire, operating the home decor business. ey have their xed store location and they also travel to home and garden shows with their products.

e business slowly progressed into what it is today. At rst the trio only did shows out of a small trailer. As the business grew, they started selling potted plants and vintage decor, and customers wanted the opportunity to shop for this decor outside of the show time frame.

See

Stocking of product is in a barn adjacent to Petals & Blooms founder Kathy McGuire's house on North Star Road west of Fernale. (Courtesy photo/Petals & Blooms)

Petals & Blooms

Petals & Blooms at rst kept product in a warehouse in the Blaine area and allowed customers to go there. About two years ago, it all moved into the barn adjacent to Kathy McGuire’s home on North Star Road.

ey source their products from around the world to get unique home decor for their store and shows. Ebbesen describes their avor as a mix of farmhouse and modern. She said they like to appeal to crowds in Whatcom County as well as a more urban clientele, like Seattle.

“We like to bring decor for what that town is about,” Ebbesen said. “Like Seattle is more modern.” But for this year’s home and garden show in Lynden, they will bring more of their farmhouse decor.

Ebbesen recently got married and was able to decorate her wedding with features from the store. Ebbesen jokes that she’ll add in the products that appeal to her, too, like decor that features brides or dogs.

“We get to be so creative,” she said. “And we all bring so much to the table.” Ebbesen said the di erent ages of the trio help them to cover a lot of demographics of interest.

e three ladies tend to keep busiest

during the show season, which is generally the colder time of the year.

“Christmas is very busy,” Bre McGuire said. “We do a lot of shows.” e Christmas season starts in fall, actually, because that’s when the Christmas decor is sought.

Ebbesen added that springtime can be busy too. Overall, the business does about 20 shows a year, and a lot of them are in Lynden, Kathy McGuire said.

For the BIAWC home and garden show, they will bring spring decor, like Easter-themed garden decorations. ey will bring their church windows and wooden bowls, which are very popular. ey have some indoor and outdoor plants they will bring, as well as garden and home decor.

Ebbesen said that buying home decor can be expensive. So, to counter that, Petals & Blooms tries to keep products affordable while also selling things that are trendy and fun.

e barn is open Tuesdays through Sundays, but with the demands of shows and family time, the hours vary. e women urge customers to check the Petals & Blooms Facebook page to see if the business is open.

Petals & Blooms expects to launch a website soon, an opportunity to sell their products online as well.

— Elizabeth Kayser

Kathy McGuire, daughter Erin Ebbessen and daughter-in-law Bre McGuire run the home decor business Petals & Blooms. (Courtesy photo/Petals & Blooms)