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It’s the busy season for canvas tents, canopies and awnings

By SCOTT McCLOSKEY

For The Times Leader

WHEELING — Whether it’s for a very casual residential setting or for a more formal occasion or business, outdoor spaces can be greatly enhanced with canvas tents, canopies or awnings.

Wheeling Canvas Products Owner Lisa Martin said this is the time of year her business gets extremely busy with people requesting tents, canopies or awnings for a variety of outdoor occasions.

“We do a lot of this at this time of year for graduation parties and weddings,” said Martin, while referring to the temporary set-up of canopy tents or canopies.

She said products range in size from 9 feet by 10 feet all the way up to 40 feet by 100 feet. She said the company can fit up to 600 people under one canopy. Martin said they had one instance where they set up a couple of tents for more than 1,000 people at one graduation event.

“A lot of times when we work with the really large canopies we work with the local fire marshal and the local building inspectors. Everything has to be safety rated, wind rated, but the average customer is just looking for something to have a party under,” Marshall said. She said many folks will rent a tent or canopy for a day or two for some sort of springtime house party. “Perhaps they only have enough room inside their home for so many people, but they would really like to have a larger event. So it just increases your space capabilities and lets you have a little bit more festive atmosphere.”

She said the firm can set up for smaller occasions in a backyard or patio setting, or for a very large, more formal settings. In addition, Martin said workers are currently busy setting up seasonal canopies for many area businesses and institutions. She said many businesses will have the year-round framework installed, then have a canopy or awning placed up during the warmer months.

She said there are instances when people have a gazebo set up in their yard and they would like to have a canvas cover over it.

“They might use that all summer long, or they may use it just for certain events,” Martin said.

She said some people are interested in setting up “shade sails” year-round as well. Martin said the company offers an array of services for the more “upscale” events.

“We do nice lighting and linens and so forth. … We can do a dance floor, we can do staging. A lot of times for weddings, people want a head table that is lifted up a bit. … We can do linen work, specialty chairs, padded chairs,” she added.

Martin said Wheeling Canvas Products has thousands of canvas products in storage and serves the tri-state area up to an 80-mile radius from Wheeling.

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