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Home improvement businesses hammered through the pandemic. Will the trend continue? | Home & Garden
While many people stayed home during the pandemic, Justin Brandt stayed busy.
His business, Custom Scapes, was abuzz those months, when many people opted to focus their time and attention on improving their home.
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Andy Bettenhausen, with Custom Scapes in Lincoln, spreads mulch during set up for the Husker Lawn & Leisure Show on Thursday.
Now with high gas prices leading some to rethink travel, home improvement is likely to remain a hot item.
Brandt, one of dozens of exhibitors at this weekend’s Husker Lawn & Leisure Show, said he expects the increased interest in home improvement to continue for the next few years.
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Now is a good time to invest in landscaping, he said, because he expects prices will continue to rise.
“The sooner you do it, the better,” Brandt said. “Right now everything keeps going up, it seems.”
With COVID-19 cases on the decline and the promise of spring on the horizon, exhibitors at the 20th annual Husker Lawn & Leisure Show are hoping to draw people to the Lancaster Event Center beginning Friday.
The show returns for the first time in three years after COVID-19 concerns led organizers to cancel the event in 2020 and 2021.
Post winter care for your lawn
This year, 125 vendors are promoting everything from landscaping services to iron sculptures.
Paula Widholm, promotions manager of the event, said many local businesses rely on the show to connect with potential customers.
“The face-to-face marketing you get as a business owner trying to sell products or promote your business is very valuable,” Widholm said.
Though she has built long-standing relationships with exhibitors — several have been coming since the show’s first year — Widholm said there are many new faces at this year’s event. About 25{d4d1dfc03659490934346f23c59135b993ced5bc8cc26281e129c43fe68630c9} of the vendors are there for the first time.
Business owners Ken and Jackie Svoboda of Luxury Landscapes were at work Thursday, setting up their exhibit. Forming relationships with customers is their favorite part of the show, which runs through Sunday.
“We absolutely love showcasing what we can do,” Jackie Svoboda said. “Just visiting with customers … and hearing them say, ‘Wow, we love your booth. We want this in our backyard.’”
Top Journal Star photos for March
Top Journal Star photos for March
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Nebraska’s Griffin Everitt is congragulated by teammates Lei Brice Matthews and Luke Jessen after hitting a 3-run RBI against New Mexico State in the third inning at Haymarket Park on Tuesday, March 15, 2022. KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for March
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Bryan Health staff pray during a ceremony to mark the two-year anniversary of COVID-19 on Tuesday, March 15, 2022, at Bryan East Campus. GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for March
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Nebraska fans cheer for free T-shirts in the second inning of a game against Omaha on Monday, March 14, 2022, at Haymarket Park. GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for March
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Malaya Burks (left), 15, plays basketball with his brother DeShawn Burks, Monday, March 14, 2022, at Normal Boulevard & South Basketball Courts. JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for March
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The Nebraska women’s basketball team reacts during their bracket announcement Sunday at the Pinnacle Bank Arena. JAIDEN TRIPI, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for March
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Elkhorn North celebrates their championship victory over Omaha Skutt after the Class B girls championship Saturday, March 12, 2022, at Pinnacle Bank Arena. JAIDEN TRIPI, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for March
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Humphrey/LHF’s Ethan Keller celebrates after his team scores three against Grand Island CC in the fourth quarter during the Class C-2 boys championship at Pinnacle Bank Arena on March 11, 2022. KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for March
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Lt. Col. Christopher Perrone (R), of Papillion, hugs his daughter, Faith, 21, during a welcome home event for soldiers of the Nebraska National Guard’s 67th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade on Friday, March 11, 2022, at the Nebraska Army National Guard base. GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for March
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Lincoln Lutheran fans react in the closing minutes of the regulation of the Class C-1 girls championship game against North Bend Central, Friday, March 11, 2022, at Pinnacle Bank Arena. JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for March
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Falls City SH’s head coach Doug Goltz talks to his team between periods during a Class D-2 boys semifinals game Thursday at Devaney Sports Center. JAIDEN TRIPI, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for March
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A pedestrian and a cyclist cross a snowy Goodhue Boulevard on Thursday, March 10, 2022. JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for March
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People watches the debate to allow concealed handgun without a permit from the balcony, Thursday, March 10, 2022, at Nebraska State Capitol. JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for March
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Auburn’s Marcus Buitrago (23) tries to control the ball as Fort Calhoun’s Carsen Schwarz (33) dives during a Class C-1 boys semifinal game Thursday at Pinnacle Bank Arena. GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for March
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North Platte SP’s Jayla Fleck (left), Tonja Heirigs, and Ashton Guo (right) celebrate a three-pointer during a Class D boys state basketball game on Wednesday at Bob Devaney Sports Center, Wednesday, March 9, 2022. SAVANNAH HAMM, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for March
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Felipe Gonzalez-Vazquez talks with his attorneys Nancy Peterson (left) and Candice Wooster during his trial for the murder of Lincoln Police Investigator Mario Herrera, Tuesday, March 8, 2022, in Platte County District Court. JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for March
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Penn State’s Max Dean upends Nebraska’s Eric Schultz during the 197 championship match of the Big Ten wresting championship matches at Pinnacle Bank Arena on March 6, 2022, in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Top Journal Star photos for March
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Nebraskans for Peace hosts a rally in support of Ukraine on Sunday, March 6, 2022. JAIDEN TRIPI, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for March
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Nebraska’s Liam Doherty-Herwitz competes on the still rings during the gymnastics meet between Illinois, Minnesota and Nebraska on Saturday, March 5, 2022, at Devaney Sports Center. JAIDEN TRIPI, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for March
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Supporters of the Midwest Freedom Convoy line up along the Superior Street bridge over I-80, on March 4, 2022, in Lincoln, Nebraska. KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for March
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Wichita State’s Sydney McKinney (25) leaps to snag a fly ball for an out in the first inning of a game against Nebraska on Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022, at Bowlin Stadium. GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for March
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Matthew Herron (L) and girlfriend Taylyn Davey enjoy an early birthday picnic for Davey on Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022, at Holmes Lake. GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for March
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Charuth Van Beuzekom, who owns Shadow Brook Farm and Dutch Girl Creamery with husband Kevin Loth, enjoys the company of a day-old kid in the barn on Tuesday, March 1, 2022. GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
Top Journal Star photos for March
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Spinach grows in a covered tunnel at Shadow Brook farm on Tuesday, March 1, 2022. GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
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