Topeka Home Show opened many doors since 1962

After the Topeka Home Show began in 1962, its attendance quickly grew, soon attracting thousands of people each year seeking home improvement products and advice.

Now, in its 52nd year, the home show attracts about 10,000 visitors annually.

In the years before big-box stores and showrooms, the home shows popularity grew quickly as larger, more elaborate displays from vendors helped attendees visualize what they could do with their own homes.

The Topeka Capital-Journals archives document the shows evolution since its inception by the Topeka Home Builders Association.

In 1967, according to one record, booths at the show were loaded with literature on electric or gas heating, custom kitchen cabinets, pocket paging systems, vacuum cleaners, ladies wigs, sewing machines and other items. An article described the plethora of wares this way:

For the farmer, a Columbus, Neb., based irrigation equipment company features a field walking sprinkler system which will water a quarter-section.

For the businessman always away from his office, a radio equipment distributor explains a pocket-pager that enables a secretary to call her boss to the phone, no matter where he might be in the city.

Nearly five decades later, those once newfangled pagers have been considered obsolete for years.

In 1974, the home show was held at Forbes Air Force Base, newly decomissioned from military service, according to another article. The show was housed in one of the hangars that formerly sheltered warplanes.

That year, the show featured demonstrations of refrigerators, fireplaces, lighting fixtures, and even a steam carpet cleaner.

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Topeka Home Show opened many doors since 1962