Ben and Erin Napier‘s show “Home Town” has had a major impact on their sweet town of Laurel, Mississippi. The HGTV stars opened up about how the series helped transform their hometown into a destination for visitors and newcomers alike.
Ben & Erin Napier’s HGTV Show Changed Laurel, Mississippi
Ben and Erin’s little renovation show in their hometown of Laurel, Mississippi brought about huge changes in the community.
In a May 2026 interview with Parade, the couple shared the ripple effect of “Home Town.”
“It’s incredible to see how many out-of-state license plates are parked in every parking lot now,” Erin said. “People come here looking for something. They’re looking for a slower way of life. They’re looking for community.”
The small town charm draws tourists and newcomers alike. “People here just want to be helpful,” Erin said of the community’s vibe.
She continued, “I hear stories of people we know, friends of ours, [saying], ‘I saw somebody walking down 5th Avenue and they looked kind of lost, so I just pulled over to ask if they need anything.'”
Laurel has also experienced a lot of growth as a result of the exposure from “Home Town,” adding 44 new businesses and nearly 150 jobs in the past five years.
In addition to new shops and restaurants, Ben pointed out that there’s now an art gallery and frame shop in the downtown area.
“The shop owners downtown are our greatest welcome wagon,” Erin shared. “They’re hospitable and welcoming to all of the visitors who are coming to town.”
And, of course, there are now coffee shops in their quaint town — something that was just a pipe dream before.
“When Erin and I got married and we moved back downtown, it was just a dream — what if one day we could get Italian food in downtown Laurel, or breakfast, or gosh, to go get a cup of coffee?” Ben noted.
“And now there are three coffee shops downtown,” he added.
Laurel Has Become a Destination
Ben shed more light on the show’s impact on their town during a 2025 interview on the “That Sounds Fun” podcast.
“In Laurel, it’s weird because it’s on such a larger … because we’ve done so many, but if we do a house, then the people next door start fixing up their house, just cleaning up a little bit,” he noted.
Ben continued, “My dad was a farmer and Laurel was an industrial town. You’d come here to get things fixed. You didn’t come here to do anything else. You came here to get stuff worked on and then you went home. So to them, it’s fascinating or crazy that people are traveling from all over to see Laurel.”
“This weird thing has happened, people used to say, like if they were traveling for work, people from Laurel would say ‘Well, I’m from outside of Hattiesburg.’ But now, they’re very proud to say ‘Well, I’m from Laurel and it’s the town where the show is,'” Ben said.
