Erin and Ben Napier go way back with Heirloom Hotel owners Jim and Mallorie Rasberry and Josh Nowell. Long before they helped the trio renovate the Laurel, Mississippi, landmark, the Napiers formed a close bond with Jim, Mallorie and Josh.
How the Napiers Met the ‘Heirloom Hotel’ Owners
During an interview with HGTV, Mallorie explained the complicated relationship links between the friend group.
“Erin and Jim are first cousins. Their dads are brothers,” Mallorie shared. “Josh and Erin went to high school together, and then at University of Mississippi, Erin and I were roommates, and Josh and Ben were as well.”
She explained that Erin had an art show as part of her senior thesis, which her cousin Jim attended to support.
“I met Jim that night. We were engaged a year later and married a year after that,” Mallorie shared.
According to Erin, Jim was immediately “smitten” by her roommate.
“Jim was always family, and Mallorie was like a sister. So when he and Mallorie started dating, they were kind of like siblings to me,” the “Home Town” star shared.
Mallorie called that period of their lives a “cool season.”
“We were right out of college. We had the energy, but we didn’t have the money, so everyone was scrappy doing fun things together. We were all professionals in our own way,” she reminisced. “I was in accounting, a CPA, Jim had a financial firm downtown, Erin was a graphic designer, Ben was a youth minister, and Josh and his wife Emily had started a business doing land work.”
“We are always there for each other, every day, in every way that we can be,” Erin added.
Their Friendship Off Camera
Despite the circumstances, the friend group was lucky enough to work together on “Home Town: Inn This Together.” However, according to Erin, they don’t get to see each other as often as they would like when not filming.
“We see each other sometimes on weekends, but we often have to make texting work for our relationships, as we’re in the young throes of parenthood,” she shared in the same interview with HGTV. “Me, Mallorie, Emily and our friend Aly have a group chat where everyone texts from the moment we wake up until we fall asleep. We have kids that are all different ages — everyone is going in different directions all day, every day.”
Josh agreed that busy parenthood keeps them from spending much time together.
“We don’t have a lot of time to just hang out unless we’re filming the show,” he said, adding that they have eight children between the group. “That’s how it usually goes.”
After a fire ripped through their beloved Heirloom Hotel, fans have joined in pleading with the insurance company, Liberty Mutual, to “do the right thing.”
“Our country has been in a hard time lately. This hotel and this show have shown truth and beauty, and what hardwork and true friendship can do,” a letter, written by an 11-year-old and shared by Erin, read. “As of right now, your company has not approved [their] claim to have the money to rebuild. It is heartbreaking to watch the show and see how hard they worked. They put it all on the line. I am writing to ask respectfully that you please approve their claim. This is your chance to prove Liberty Mutual is different.”
“This is not about any little town, but a town that is a beacon of light for our nation. If you do the right thing, it will keep the light shining.”
