The chill is in the air!

After a busy fall with everyone trying to get their last minute outdoor jobs finished we are starting to slow down just a bit.  Which means for us its time to start getting ready for next spring.  First job on the board is getting all the tents opened up, cleaned if they need it and any minor repairs.  This means we will be having tents hanging in the main section for a couple of weeks to come!  Good to stay busy!

Big Party

  This is just one of the party canopys that we had set at the Manor last weekend. The tent crew did a great job drilling holes in asphalt and have the ropes nice and tight!

  They got thru their party dry but the tents didn't! After a late afternoon take down the tents had to be hung up to dry.


  These tents are big and seem to be twice as heavy when they get wet!

  This is the same tent hanging inside the shop.  It is 20' x 40' long and non of it can be touching the ground, not even the ropes or they stay damp.  A damp tent will turn to mold and ruin the canopy! 

Sure feels like fall out! We are starting to rent the patio heaters and sides with the tents now. Still staying busy so that's a nice plus to fall time. Add in the mix log splitters, chippers and aerators and the days seem to cruise right along :) I sent the camera out with the boys on a tent job so cross your fingers that we have some new pictures to post soon.

This is from a wedding a couple of weeks ago using the 9 piece column set with 2 spiral candleabras to the sides.



Its nice to get a few pictures from our customers to show how they've used our equipment.

We wish them all the best!

This is our dance floor, looks pretty nice all trimmed out!

This is the inside of the 30x60 elite canopy! Lots of room here!

Wow another busy weekend. We are renting from tents, tables and chairs to concrete cutting saws to dump trailers. Its a good time to be versatile! The only change we could use is a little cooler weather :) . But it sure is hard to complain when the sun is shining! These are pictures from the wedding this weekend, so glad the storms went north.

Its been a totally crazy busy summer. They guys went out early this morning to set a few tents and will have to go back out and take them down in just a few hours! After that they will have to wash and dry the tents before they can go back on the shelves. They have been doing an awesome job keeping the tents clean this year!

Graduation parties are starting already this weekend, so there goes another ice cream machine! These things are great :) We are thinking that Thomas will have some left-over cream so we can "test" the machine.

Another sunny day! Makes you appreciate Michigan when the week is like this. Contractors and landscapers are starting to rent a little more, always a good sign! Go Michigan :). We are thinking about "testing" one of our soft-serve ice cream machines. I know, I know but someone has to do it!!

We've had a super week, graduation parties are getting ordered and customers are finishing up their spring yard projects. Nice to see Mother Nature being nice to us for a little while!

After a busy Saturday last week followed by rain that stopped almost everything is nice to see spring is coming! One sure sign of spring is the dunk tanks and pig roasters coming out of storage. Lots going on, checking lights, bearings, and tarps. They are 1/2 done already!! Way to go Rafael.

Its always important to learn new things, so along with the boys I took the 1.0 Intoduction to Dispensing Propane Safety Class. I never knew that propane cylinders have dates stamped into them that after 12 years must be "requalified". Unless there is a letter next to the date and then its may be either 5 or 7 years. It was a good class to sit in on and Congrats to Jason, Thomas,
Mario, Arielle and myself for getting certified. Also thanks to Carl from Hamilton Energy for coming by and giving the class. Maybe my next class will be learning to drive the forklift??

Here is another happy group that rented one of our vans! This group was from Allendale to cheer on their wrestling team. They had plenty of room and all had a blast traveling together.
WAY TO GO ALLENDALE!!!

I realize spring is not here yet, but with the time change happening this weekend and working a fairly busy Saturday its feeling more and more like spring. The oil changes have started in the lawn equipment so we know its only a matter of time before the power rakes and roto-tillers start renting :). The vans are getting a little busier too. One to Tennessee and the up north to Traverse City, safe travels to both groups and don't for get to change your clocks ahead one hour!

It feels like summer around here! So glad to see the sun. We even rented out the pontoon trailer!! I so love Michigan people, they see a little sun and the projects start.

I know that this is not the end of winter, but wow it's beautiful outside!! This is our first tent of the season, a 20x20 frame for a surprise birthday party!! And yes they had a couple of tent heaters :). All went well so get outside and enjoy the sun!!

I can't believe spring is almost here!! We, A & B Rent with Havit Supplies went out and set a tent today!! yah!! Yes I know its Michigan, and I know we sent a couple of heaters with it, but its so beautiful out. Customers are getting a little spring fever too, calling for graduation party tables and chairs. So hopefully mother nature is not just messing with us and winter can be done. Sorry plow-guys I love the snow but we really need some SUN!

Here is one of our wallpaper steamers in action!!

Its always good to start at the top and work your way down.

It's a must to have a nice wide putty knife for peeling the paper off the wall and a large trash can for the scraps.

So the sun is shining again today!! And we all know what that means, spring for sure is on the way. This means 1/2 our customers are soon heading out of town for spring break vacations (think enclosed trailers and vans!) and the other 1/2 will start thinking about getting their final indoor projects done before heading outside for the summer.

If your refinishing your hardwood floors have 2 styles of floor sanders with sand paper from 20 grit up to 100 grit. Or if your putting down a new floor we carry a few different styles of floor nailer and staplers.

And if your really brave we also carry Werner wallpaper steamers that do a great job of getting your out-of-date wallpaper off your walls.

Keep thinking Sun!!

So now is the time to start thinking about renting our 15 passenger vans! Just think of all the memories you will be creating when your all together! Weddings, Family trips and Birthday Parties!

So we came back from the rental show with a few new ideas and a couple new sales items! The latest is sugar-free sno kone syrup which comes in Blue Raspberry, Cherry and Grape. We also carry the regular syrups in Blue Raspberry, Cherry, Grape, Lemon-Lime and Orange. Other supplies include our neon spoon straws and sno kone cups. These are fun rentals for any outdoor summer party!

So it's February and it seems customers are starting to think about getting their tents reserved! It's always interesting to see what the spring rush will bring and which will be the biggest weekend of the "graduation month". Our soft serve ice cream machine seems to be
getting a little busier this year and always lots of tables and chairs to rent.
One our newest sales items are PURPLE kwik covers! They are so cool with the yellow! We
are looking for some Caledonia customers to come this way and check them out. We will have
pictures soon :)

So we have made it to Florida, now the drive up to Orlando for the show. I remembered our "wish list" which is a good start. Tomorrow the day starts with an opening breakfast, classes and then the floor opens after lunch :).

So, 6 more days and we will be walking around the Orlando Convention Center checking out all the newest rental equipment! We are now putting together our "wish list"! Some items get shot down others we will check out a little closer at the show, cross your fingers! Most importantly we have to watch Dad closely, as he is the "kid in the candy store" when we get there! :) Good thing he doesn't use a scooter when we get there or we would never keep track of him.

Enjoying a busy Saturday. Calenders arrived!! Stop by at either A & B Rental or Havit Supplies to get yours!! Graduation Party customers are starting to call so spring must be right around the corner. The American Rental Show is just 1 week away, can't wait to see what's new for 2010!

Super cold here in Michigan, Florida is looking alittle better. But I think we would miss the snow.
Working on inventory....and what to plan for for this summer, who knows its Michigan. Customers are starting to call for tent reservations so thats a good sign of the year to come!!

Long day today, sorting and organizing Kwik-Covers. Super sale item, covers the tables without the customers having to staple or tape their table clothes on! Hoping to see if they will come out
with some new colors this year. Getting colder...they say the snow is coming...so much for our
short thaw. I guess we have to keep the snow-plower happy.

Saturdays are like this sometimes

Having a pretty quiet Saturday, all the customers came first thing this morning, but that gives us time to get caught up on the computer stuff. Washed down another section of showroom floor too. Another fun thing to do in our "down-time" is clay-bar and wax all the 15 passenger vans (6 of them) and box trucks (5 of them) and work/delivery trucks (3 of them). Reminds me of the "wax on - wax off" thing.

Tent Cleaning

It sure helps to have a wash room big enough to lay out the bigger tents.

Rafael is pretty picky about keeping the tents clean!

winter 2010

Some people just love it when it snows and Sid is one of them. He seems to be getting a little mopy lately with the warmer weather....but this is Michigan so I'm sure snow is right around the corner!

Funny to see the boys try to get to work first to see who gets to plow!