East Texas Builders Association Home & Design returns to Longview | Local News

After being snowed out by Winter Storm Uri in 2021, the 19th annual East Texas Builders Association Home & Design in Longview is back with a variety of vendors.

Despite this being his first time at the home show, Flood Out Restoration Marketing Manager Moser said Saturday that attendance at Maude Cobb Convention and Activity Center had been tremendous. The event continues Sunday.

“We’ve went around and talked with a lot of the businesses that are displaying here and made personal connections …We have some really fine products and some talented artists here,” Moser said.

Moser said Flood Out Restoration is considered the company that “you never really wanna call, but you actually are glad we’re here.”

The Longview company offers services from flood, fire, smoke and mold remediation to disaster clean-up and residential and commercial clean-up and reconstruction.

Infrared cameras, moisture meters and dehumidifiers were just a few of the pieces Moser had on display at the show.

Lighting designer Shawn Post was on the floor Saturday chatting with attendees and representing The Gallery of Lights in Longview.

The company has been in business for 20 years and participated in the show off and on throughout that time, he said. Its display consisted of a well-lit area with several types of hanging lights, furniture, décor and more.

“I think that a lot of people just think that we are lights, but as you can see, we have outdoor furniture, indoor furniture, accessories, mirrors, hardware — so we can do your house from start to finish without you having to do too much,” Post said.

He added that aside from just lights and expensive chandeliers, it was good for people to see the company’s options.

Its display seemed to catch the attention of several attendees, as they walked by while others stopped to inspect the furnishings.

Whitney Gillilan was at the show with her 8-month-old son, Sidney, and said The Gallery of Lights stood out to her.

“Their stuff is really beautiful,” Gillilan said. “I can walk around here and picture how I wanna decorate my own home, so that’s why I love (the home shows) so much.”

While Gillilan and her husband Chris don’t yet own a house, she was at the show to get ideas for what their future home might look like.

“I work in property management here in Longview, sso it’s nice to know I have vendors that I could reach out to,” she said.

AVCO Roofing Project Manager Hunter Heambrough spoke with attendees while handing out large red buckets for them to drop in their goodies from the show.

Last year, the roofing company was forced to leave its equipment at Maude Cobb when the winter storm raged through Longview, Heambrough said. They ended up leaving their set-up there for a week because they were unable to get it out because of the weather.

“So you can imagine nobody was coming last year, as opposed to this year where it’s very busy,” he said.

He said many attendees were stopping to ask about AVCO’s Euroshield shingles that were set up on sample boards.

Judy Gillis held up a rubber duck she won from spinning the prize wheel at the Rub-A-Dub Plumbing booth.

Gillis and husband David are managers for several rental houses in Longview. This was their first time at the home show, and they seemed to be interested as they passed the many stalls and displays.

“We do a lot of remodeling, and what we need is quality products for quality price,” Gillis said. The couple has managed rental property for more than 10 years.

The home show offered a little bit of everything they needed for remodeling.

“It just gives you a network. You never know who you’re gonna run into and somebody that would benefit to you down the road possibly,” Gillis said. The display that had caught her attention was Fidelity Metalworks out of White Oak.

“We would not use that in a rent house, but we would use that in our own home,” Gillis said with a chuckle.

The home show continues noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.