HGTV stars Ben and Erin Napier to start new “hometown” spinoff
Ben and Erin Napier brought Laurel, Mississippi, to the national map with her popular HGTV Makeover series “Homestadt”. Now plan a new series.
Mississippi Clarion Ledger
- The fire that took place in the early morning was contained after two hours with the help of several fire brigades.
- While the building suffered significant fire and water damage, no injuries were reported because the hotel was not occupied.
- The cause of the fire is currently indefinite and the owners rate the damage and the next steps.
- Despite the setback, the community remains obliged to complete the project.
Note from the publisher: The story has been updated to reflect the property of the hotel that suffered fire damage.
Erin and Ben Napier from the hometown of HGTV Series fulfilled near their latest vision, as the Erbstschück Hotel was about to open.
That changed on Tuesday, August 26th
The hotel burned.
Although the Napiers and their partners have no complete loss, the next steps rate.
The 30-room boutique hotel, which Joshua Nowell, Emily Nowell, Jim Rasberry and Mallorie Rasberry belonged to, should be the heart of the HGTV series. The Napiers were part of the restoration. The opening was on the horizon because the booking for 2026 was to begin in the next few weeks.
According to the Facebook page of the Laurel Main Street, the Laurel fire brigade arrived and fought almost two hours regardless of the fire before reinforcing the Ellisville fire brigade to contain the fire. The building was not occupied and no cause of the fire was identified at the time of this report.
“At the moment they are just trying to determine everything that causes everything,” Caroline Burks, Executive Director of Laurel Main Street Association, told Clarion Ledger. “From a local perspective, they stood in the finish line for this project, which had been a love work for more than two years.”
The shop below was ready and equipped. The cooking school was ready to organize events, and there were only a few adjustments that could be made in front of an opening, each of which was thought of in just a few weeks.
The home city print on Laurel, Mississippi
The original of the Napiers Laurel Mercantile is a great place for gifts, kitchen products and more. They also have the fragrance library for candles and other home needs, and the Scotsman General Store has jams, coffee, relish and a look at Bens Woodshop.
The Erbstück -Hotel restoration should be the next step to build the small town with about 18,000 people in Jones County northeast of Hattiesburg.
What's next for Ben and Erin Napier?
The Napiers and the owners were able to go through the property on Tuesday afternoon to assess the damage, but there is no word about what comes next.
“I would say that it looks like everything is still moving forward, but there is a lot of water damage and fire damage, and it will take a while,” said Burks. “Many had put their personal heirs into the room. So try to find out what is just saved. It is sad about the loss of property, but we are very grateful that they were not open that the hotel was not full when this happened. It is a big blessing.”
As for the city center of Laurel, the 30-room hotel was expected for the economy.
“We all knew what the opening for the economy in the city center would mean,” said Burks. “Laurel has no tonne hotels. We have a couple, and we have a lot of air -Bnbs, but one of the things we always hear that we just don't have the volume. So it would be nice to add 30 rooms so that people can come and visit. Project.”
Burks mainly referred to the Nowells of Laurel and the Rasberrys, all of whom are on the show and friends.
“There was a crew of people who have worked on making (the Erbstschück Hotel) a burning show area that we want in our city center,” said Burks. “As a business owner and only people from Laurel, we saw the work that went into it and we are sad because they are sad. But the reality is that they take the steps to start again. There is more time and at the end of the day they do not give up and no one in Laurel gives up this project.”
Ross Reily is a writer for the Clarion Ledger, part of the USA Today Network. It can be reached at rrey@gannett.com or 601-573-2952. You can follow him on the X platform, which was previously known as Twitter @Greenocratic.