Fans of Ben and Erin Napier’s show “Home Town” can tell you that the first step in creating something new is tearing out the old.
And that’s exactly what the HGTV stars and their friends are doing right now after a fire sent their plans to open up a new hotel in downtown Laurel, Mississippi up in flames.
The Heirloom hotel that Ben and Erin and their best friends Mallorie and Jim Rasberry and Emily and Josh Nowell renovated was just on the verge of opening its doors to guests when a fire broke out August 26.
Now the friends have posted a new video on the hotel’s Instagram account showing that demo is underway.
In the video, Josh Nowell tells the camera, “We’re about to tear out everything that we spent a year and a half to build. The good news is, it’s a lot easier to tear it out than it is to build it.”
But while he’s presenting an optimistic point of view, he does let down his guard for a minute, leaning into the camera, exhaling and saying “sucks!”
The post’s caption reads, “Here we go. Again. Keep Building.”
Heirloom Owners Are Determined to Keep Going
Ben and Erin Napier and their friends recorded the original construction of the Heirloom Hotel in downtown Laurel, Mississippi for what was to be Ben and Erin’s newest HGTV series, “Home Town: Inn This Together.”
While those plans seem to have gone up in flames alongside the hotel, the friends have not given up on their dream.
Another new Instagram post shows Josh doing more demo, with the caption, “How do we demo a four story? The same way we built it.” A banner over the video reads “One piece at a time.”
Just days after the fire, the Heirloom owners all made it clear that they weren’t giving up and would rebuild. Since then, they have continued to voice their intentions to keep going, and their unity in moving forward.
Another recent Instagram post shows a picture of Jim Rasberry in a hard hat in the ruins. The caption reads, “A long way to go. I’m glad for my old friend to help carry this load.
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! – Ecclesiastes 4:9-10″
Erin & Ben Napier and Their Friends Show Deep Commitment to Hometown
Ben and Erin Napier and their four friends’ willingness to roll up their sleeves and start over is on brand.
The six have been committed to their hometown of Laurel, Mississippi for decades.
According to Southern Living, in 2008, a full eight years before HGTV came calling, the “Home Town” stars and their friends decided to take action after seeing their beloved hometown fall into disrepair, with a downtown area that was largely abandoned.
“When we all came home from college—Mallorie and Jim Rasberry, Emily and Josh Nowell, Ben, and me—we were the only people who lived downtown,” Erin told Southern Living. “It was just us and the feral cats. For the six of us, all in our twenties, it was like a game: How can we make downtown Laurel feel alive again?”
The group founded Laurel Main Street. “We all did what we could,” Erin said. “Josh had done some real estate development. He had a bird’s-eye view. Ben and I were the storytellers. I would take photos of a corner downtown that people might overlook. I kept a journal online, and I mocked up some murals in Photoshop. We put some lights in the trees and had these potluck parties and invited our friends from Hattiesburg. We were just like, ‘Yeah, Laurel’s a cool place—you didn’t know?’ “
