Of HGTV’s numerous success stories, “Home Town” is perhaps the most unique.
Discover more by reading on to experience the stunning transformation of Erin Napier.
As she explained, her interests at the time weren’t exactly typical for kids of her age.
“Library time was my favorite,” she continued.
“I had a fossil collection.
I would put together natural history dioramas in old shoeboxes.
Or I’d stay home and make a tiger costume that was really exciting to me.”
“But she never tried to push me into that mold,” Erin added.
Ben would go on to become Erin’s partner in life and, eventually, television.
“We had our first date in the student union.
Speaking withPeoplein 2020, Erin recalled how popular Ben was on campus.
“He was like a celebrity crush to me,” she said.
“She was walking across the student union, and she had a pixie haircut.
Their first meeting, running into each other in a McDonald’s, did not go well.
“I was so nervous talking to him I crashed and burned,” she said.
It was during that conversation that both realized they’d found their soulmate.
“Six days later we decided we would get married, and that was that,” she said.
The following year, the two got married on November 22, 2008.
“I’ve been surprised by how easy marriage is for us,” she said.
“And somehow, we managed to find each other.
“Ben also makes Erin a sweet gift every yearto commemorate the highlights of their time together.
“We had talked about living in Memphis or Birmingham, maybe going to Nashville.
For Erin, returning to Laurel and putting their energies into revitalizing it was also somewhat subversive.
Three years into their marriage, the couple met the woman who owned that particular home.
Within a month, they were the owners of their dream home.
Naturally, there were a lot of renovations to undertake.
As she explained, the thrifty pair stuck to a strict budget when renovating and furnishing the place.
Suddenly, what had been a side hustle while she worked a full-time job began taking off.
Among those who saw it was Lindsey Weldhorn, who was in charge of original programming for HGTV.
She began following Erin on Instagram and loved what they’d been doing in Laurel.
Weldhorn loved it, and told the Napiers that HGTV wanted to move forward.
“They were ordering a pilot to begin filming in the spring!
And we were stunned,” Erin wrote in ablog post.
“We had fallen in the pudding and had no idea how it happened.”
That pilot proved to be good enough that HGTV decided to air it and then gauge how viewers responded.
“Why would it be possible to make a TV show in a town like Laurel, Mississippi?
We love it very much, but that doesn’t mean everyone else would.”
“There was a snowstorm on the East Coast that day!”
Based on all those viewers, HGTV ordered more episodes of “Home Town.”
The series' success continued, with ratings continuing to grow with each successive season.
Looking back, Erin admitted she was amazed that everything wound up working out the way that it had.
“I don’t think you could ever anticipate something like this,” she toldHouse Beautiful.
“It is such a happy surprise.”
“How can we make downtown Laurel feel alive again?”
was the question they’d asked themselves.
Those plans ultimately led to Laurel Mercantile, their own shop in downtown Laurel.
In December 2016, Laurel Mercantile officially opened its doors.
“It’s not fluff; it’s not filler.
It’s really good, heirloom-quality things.”
She first began experiencing symptoms at age 19.
The condition left doctors stumped.
Finally, she underwent exploratory surgery that revealed her internal organs were bound together by tissue.
Finally, her appendix was removed, and her symptoms vanished.
Doctors told her that it was unlikely that she would ever have a child.
“I was very sad,” she toldPeople.
“Helen is a joy in every way.
She’s kind of the best.
She’s the best baby ever,” Erin gushed to People.
Erin then went on to have a second pregnancy, announcing the news in 2021.
In May of that year, they revealed the arrival of a second daughter, Mae.
They’re already so in love with each other!”
the couple said in a joint statement toPeople.
Situated just outside of Laurel, in the Mississippi countryside, Ben discovered the listing in 2021.
As soon as Erin saw the photos of the Tudor-style home, she was captivated.
“I was in love immediately and that scared me to death,” she toldSouthern Living.
“I thought, ‘We don’t need another house… but maybe we do.'”
“We are doing a house for ourselves!
That is something very different,” she toldPeopleof that special episode.
“And I trust her.
So we did!”
