Showcase at mall serves as a never-ending home show

Instead of shoes and shirts and sweaters, shoppers at Chapel Hills Mall can now browse shingles and sunrooms and siding.

It’s not the normal fare for a mall. Jennifer Knight’s brain child, the Home Improvement Showcase, which opened Monday, will act as sort of a never-ending home show, with displays on everything from pool tables to ponds. Indeed, Knight argues that it will be better than an ordinary home show because there will be no retail sales allowed and no high-pressure pitches.

“This is simply a chance for the consumer to come in and really check things out,” Knight said.

By banding together, she said, a variety of small home improvement companies can become an interesting destination in their own right — and grab eyeballs and foot traffic by filling 22,000 square feet of retail space in the mall, between Dick’s Sporting Goods and Sears in what used to be Woodley’s Fine Furniture.

The space is divided into areas devoted to sections of a home — exteriors and landscaping, interiors and, in a future expansion, kitchens and bedrooms. There’s only one company allowed for each product type, said Knight, who owned a marketing company before launching the showcase. Each company gets a space to set up its display. Knight’s staff oversees the showcase and answers basic questions, but refers customers to the companies themselves for detailed information and pricing.

The showcase idea isn’t entirely new — Coutura Design Inspirations on Corporate Centre Circle offers a similar mix of businesses and vignettes — but putting it in a mall is a first, said David Moss, general manager for Chapel Hills.
“The concept is out there, but not in a retail setting,” Moss said. “We’re super excited about the possibilities the Home Improvement Showcase offers.”

Chapel Hills’ owner, General Growth Properties, is intrigued enough by the idea to consider trying it in one of its other malls, Moss said.

“We think something like this could work well on a grander scale,” he said.

For exhibitors, the showcase is an experiment, but one worth trying, said Chris Oberg, president of Purely Ponds.

“What sells my product is getting it in front of people,” Oberg said. “I do 10 home shows a year. This is like a home show that never stops.”

Fodor Billiards has its own showroom a few miles away on North Academy Boulevard. Being in the mall, however, allows the company to show what it offers beyond pool tables, said Bill Fodor, the company’s president.

“A lot of people don’t realize we do as much as we do,” he said. “I’m excited about it.”

Knight hopes to frequently update the displays so there will always be something new for people to see. She’s signed the vendors to one-year commitments and asked them to sign a code of ethics. She has 15 vendors so far and hopes to have 30 to 40 when the showcase is filled out.
—
Call the writer at 636-0275