HGTV has a hit show and it’s based in Laurel, Mississippi. It’s called Home Town and it is centered on a Laurel couple named Erin and Ben Napier who help people in town select and rehab houses. Big hit! It intrigued us to the point that we decided to go and take a look at Laurel, Mississippi.
Welcome to Laurel
From the look of the town not just Erin and Ben are getting wealthy off the HGTV fame. It has become a tourist destination with a lot to recommend it. While the Napiers have become a retail sensation with a couple of stores there are a lot of thriving businesses in Laurel. Bakeries, coffee shops, restaurants, B&B’s and more than a couple of really interesting retail shops. We really enjoyed the Laurel Leaf gift shop – lots of Southern humor for sale.
In addition to it’s current fame Laurel has some additional reasons to visit. There’s the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, an excellent collection worthy of an hour or two. There is a great walking tour of the town that takes you by a number of historic homes and churches and exploring downtown Laurel needs the better part of a day.
On a historical note Laurel in the early 1900’s was the center of the pine lumber industry and was where Masonite was invented.
Ben has a wood working business called The Scotsman where he makes furniture and you can visit and watch through a glass wall from inside the gift shop. If you’ve watched the show you’ll recognize the scene above.
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