Renting Transforms The Setting

By Christy Rost, March 2004

Having the right cooking and serving equipment, as well as enough tables, chairs, plates, and glassware, can make all the difference when planning a gathering. While on location at the Fort Worth, Texas location of Ducky Bob's this month, I learned how easy and inexpensive it can be to partner with a rental company to supplement items I already have at home.

For our Hawaiian alfresco dinner theme, we pulled out all the stops to transform Ducky Bob's showroom into a lovely dining spot, complete with a romantic tent.You have only to see the exquisite lime green-draped table, tucked into the magnificent tent on easyentertain.com's homepage, to see the beautiful effect of renting a few key items. And the incredible turquoise glass chargers we placed on the table as the foundation for our dinnerware, captured the essence of Hawaii's sea and sky.

But the big surprise came when we transformed a brick wall and a plot of concrete in the parking lot into a tropical oasis for grilling pork ribs and vegetable packets wrapped in banana leaves. Thanks to the effects of soft pink linens for the cooking table and a magnificently large, squeaky-clean propane gas grill from Ducky Bob's, as well as a beautiful collection of tropical plants, flowers, and fruit from Albertson's, an ordinary parking lot location, with unattractive heating and cooling equipment protruding above the wall, became an enviable setting for a Hawaiian dinner under the stars.

If we could produce this beautiful setting in a parking lot, imagine what you can create in your backyard, surrounded by trees, flowers, and an abundance of nature. The next time you wish you could transform your home setting for a party, or have the "perfect" plates or glassware for a special gathering, please visit Ducky Bob's website, and explore the possibilities! www.duckybobs.com