Hearth & Home September 2018

September News

2018 Apollo Awards Finalists

Finalists for the 2018 Apollo Awards have been named. On the night of September 27, they will find out who the two winners are. There will be a winner in the Single-Store category, and another in the Multi-Store Category.

This year the number of finalists is back down to five (six in 2017) in both categories. Five out of the 10 finalists were also finalists in 2017.

Two of the 2018 finalists have never been here before; they are Bowman’s Stove & Patio, Ephrata, Pennsylvania, and Porch & Patio Casual Living, Warwick, Rhode Island.

Of course, the Grande Dame, the Serena Williams (tennis) of the Apollo Awards is Kristine Schultz and her team at Patios Plus, Rancho Mirage, California. They have won the Single-Store Apollo Award in 1999, 2007, 2008, and 2012. Patios Plus was a finalist in 16 other years dating back to 1982. That’s really remarkable!

Single Store Category

Bowman’s Stove & Patio, Ephrata, PA

Finalist in 2018

L to R: Lester Bowman, Brenda Bowman, Dustin Bowman.

Village Green Home and Garden, Rockford, IL

Winner in 2016
Finalist in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2018

L to R (front row): Brianna Akin, Larry Smith, Olivia Day.
L to R (back row): Todd Ott, Jessica Salisbury.

Patios Plus, Rancho Mirage, CA

Winner in 1999, 2007, 2008, 2012; Finalist in 1982, 1990, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018

L to R: (front row) Brittany Schreiner, Amanda Smith, Wes Woodruff.
L to R: (back row) Mark Mellinger, Chris Mack, Kristine Schultz, Alton Garrett, Chad Heaslip.

Sunnyland Furniture, Dallas, TX

Winner in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2017
Finalist in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018

L to R: Brad Schweig and David Schweig.

Outdoor Elegance, La Verne, CA

Winner in 2010; Finalist in in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018

L to R: (front row) Jodi Brown, Angela Troxcil, Melanie Decker.
L to R: (back row) Lindsey Gonzalez, Rob Decker, Sharon Sanicola, Doug Sanicola, Joseph Sanicola, Jesse Avila.

Multi Store Category

Porch & Patio Casual Living, Warwick, RI

Finalist in 2018

L to R (front row): Brian and Carla Singman with Mason.
L to R (back Row): Brian Meyer, Ted King, Alex Hosley, Gina DeTomasis, Ryan Greaves, Stephanie Ceceri, Jimmy Aguiar, James Braga, Pete Delcarpini.

Great Gatherings, Gainesville, VA

Winner in 2014; Finalist in in 2015, 2016, 2018

L to R: Shannon Danforth, Melissa Toler, Ande Doyle, Eric Stalzer.

Daylight Home, Lighting & Patio, San Luis Obispo, CA

Finalist in 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018

L to R: Zoe Goldman, Elaine Holzschuh, Earthann Melander, Erik Stanton.

Yard Art, Irving, TX

Winners in 2004, 2010, 2015; Finalist in 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018

L to R: Garrett Wallace, Geneva Switzer, Butch Wallace.

Today’s Patio, Scottsdale, AZ

Finalist in 2017, 2018

L to R: Craig Scheinerman, Chad Scheinerman.

Perspective: Numbers

Let’s begin with 50,000 and then tear it down. That’s the square footage that Erik Mueller of Watson’s demolished before putting up a brand-new 100,000 sq. ft. spectacular new store in Cincinnati.

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Stopping the Clock (a bit)

By Tom Lassiter

At Watson’s, Erik Mueller is succeeding by “just trying to give the consumer a little bit of their life back.”

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Friendship & Business

By Tom Lassiter

With an established base in design and hospitality, and showrooms in Chicago, High Point, and Las Vegas, the folks at Kannoa are now opening their arms to the patio specialty retailers.

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Woodard Acquires Mallin

By Richard Wright

A conversation with Bill Herren, creative director of Woodard (and Mallin.)

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Sitting Pretty

By Richard Wright

Once more, weather was the unwelcome guest at the patio furnishings party. This time the guest arrived at the beginning of the season, either in the form of relentless Nor’eastern storms or, a bit later, unseasonable heat that pushed thermometers into the 90s – for weeks at a time.

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