The thermometer may say March, but the 21st annual Home, Garden and Lifestyle Show at the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds will conjure up June when more than 175 exhibitors roll out everything from waterscapes to windows.

The annual show, which starts Friday and runs through Sunday, is designed to kick-start visions of home and garden improvement, and will feature everything from interior decorators to landscape architects, from well drilling to weatherproofing. It is sponsored by the Builders & Remodelers Association of Ann Arbor and typically attracts 5,000 visitors.

It’s a chance to get in front of the buying public, face-to-face, said Glenn Stockdale, owner of G&K Floor Covering in Ypsilanti, who has been part of the show for more than a decade. “It’s the best form of advertising there is. You get to actually show your product,” he said.

That product has been increasingly been environmentally friendly, Stockdale said, as sales have moved from traditional carpet to eco-choices such as bamboo and cork flooring, natural-based linoleum and environmentally harvested hardwoods.

These options now account for almost 20 percent of sales, with bamboo and Marmoleum (a kind of linoleum) leading the way. But the weak economy saw Stockdale return to bringing more conventionally produced, lower priced flooring options to the show last year. He’ll do the same this year.

Still, he said, when quality is equal, green products are no more expensive than their conventionally made counterparts. There’s no entry-level green products, so customers looking only at the bottom lean toward traditional products.

While the Home, Garden and Lifestyle show typically results in 10 to 15 solid leads each year, Stockdale said he has seen customers come in six months later. “I’ve been to other shows like this and haven’t seen anyone come in because of it. This is a good show,” Stockdale said.

All but a handful of the more than 175 exhibitors from last year return, with a number of new businesses, such as Cutco Cutlery and the Pampered Chef, said Andrea Sullivan, meeting and events director of BRAG of Ann Arbor.

The economy hasn’t stopped exhibitors from participating, she said. “People are getting adventurous with their marketing dollar. They’re spending $200 to get in front of 5,000 people. The people who come to the show aren’t tire-kickers. They’re good, quality customers.” The show is no longer just for home and garden businesses. Last year, the name was expanded to include lifestyles and the show attracts chiropractors, banks and investment companies.

One of the most popular draws is Building F of the farm grounds, where landscapers bring a bit of spring to March with waterscapes, brick patios, gazebos, blooming flowers and lush, green sod. "It helps you envision what you can have in your backyard," Sullivan said.

The show, Sullivan said, is more to stimulate the local economy than to make money from the gate receipts. In fact, BRAG floods the market with ticket deals and even offers a two-for-one deal over the Internet. “You’re not going to get business unless you’re seen and this is a way to be seen,” Sullivan said. While the show is an effective marketing tool, it’s a lot of work, said Geoff Perkins, owner of Ann Arbor’s Perkins Construction Co. He sets up a kiosk with photos of his company’s home building and renovations projects, offers a slide show of the work on a computer screen and hands out free DVDs of the slide show, giving potential customers the chance for a leisurely look at home. He also hands out free favors, such as rubber jar grippers with the company logo.

But it works. The shows have resulted in between one and five projects each year, Perkins said.