RETAILOBSERVER.COM JULY 2015
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"This year's show was a great success," says Rich Russo, vice
president of the National Hardware Show. "We hope it was
enjoyable and productive for all our attendees and exhibitors.
Based on the activity on the show floor each day and feedback
we've received, it sounds like everyone took advantage of the
opportunities to learn, network, discover new products, build new
relationships, and much more."
Attendees seemed to enjoy their time at the show. Some, like
Dave Umber of Umber's Do it Best Hardware in Ft. Wayne,
Indiana, were looking for new products.
"Our goal at this show was to find new niches," he says. "We
don't carry pull-behind trailers, and we know something like that
sitting in front of our store would be a draw. We also looked at
grills and grill supplies to expand the category."
Other retailers enjoyed the seminars and other learning
opportunities.
"I've really enjoyed the NRHA Village so far," says Kathy Kanter
of HL Borden Lumber and Hardware LLC in Strasburg, Virginia.
"It is a great place to sit down, listen to the speakers and leave
with takeaways I can easily implement in my business."
SPECIALTY AREAS
The show is organized by 15 featured product categories
helping attendees to efficiently find the vendors and products
they were looking for.
In the Energy Efficient area, located in the New Product World in
the Central Hall, vendors showcased their environmentally friendly
products that can save consumers money on their energy bills.
Nearby is a display of Emergency Preparedness & Disaster
Recovery products. This category first appeared at the show
last year and is a popular one for retailers looking to stock their
stores with everything consumers will need in an emergency or
natural disaster.
"People are just realizing they need to be more prepared for the
power to go out. It seems very much to be an emerging category,"
according to Jason McGowin, vice president of sales for Stower,
a company from San Francisco that makes fire-powered elec-
tronics chargers.
In the Made in USA area, manufacturer Rustica Hardware of
Provo, Utah, displayed its selection of doors and hardware. The
company uses as many American-made parts as possible.
70TH AN N I VERSARY
A GReAT success
