Season 1 of HGTV’s Home Town is getting more buzz than any show on the network since Fixer Upper‘s debut. Hosts Erin and Ben Napier have been making a name for themselves ever since the renovations to their 1925 craftsman cottage earned the couple a feature in Southern Weddings all the way back in 2014. That feature, in turn, got the attention of an HGTV producer, who wound up asking the Napiers if they were interested in filming a pilot for the network.
Judging by comments on social media, most viewers are in love with the show’s aesthetic and its super-small-town feel, but aren’t as aware of the folks bringing Laurel to the masses. So, to answer some of the many questions out there, we’ve put together an (ever-growing) HGTV Home Town FAQ. (If you’ve got a question you’d like answered, make sure to leave a comment at the bottom of the article!)
How tall are Ben and Erin? Specifically, how tall is Ben Napier?
According to Hooked on Houses‘ 2016 interview with Erin, she is 5’5″. Ben Napier’s height is 6’6″, or exactly one Michael Jordan. Fun fact: the difference in their heights is so great that, when they’re filming the show’s many on-the-fly interviews, Erin has to stand on a small crate–she calls it a “half-apple”–to minimize the gap for the cameras. Like this:
What is Erin Napier’s age? How old is Ben?
Ben, the older of the two, will turn 34 this year; Erin will be 32.
When did the Napiers get married?
According to the aforementioned Southern Weddings feature, the Naipers had been married for five-and-a-half years as of June 2014. Comments Erin made in a separate interview suggested that 2008 was an especially busy year for she and Ben, since they got married and moved to Laurel together. Based on the 2014 timeline, it sounds like Ben and Erin tied the knot at the end of 2008.
These two live in Mississippi. Why are they always wearing dark colors on TV? Do they not own any white clothing?
As folks who’ve streamed the Season 1 pilot well know, sweat is an uncredited third member of the Napier family on Home Town. Unfortunately, Erin explained in a blog post last year that she and Ben are forbidden from wearing white on camera: “The microphones [the producers] adhere to your body can show through a white shirt, and it also makes you look washed out–so Ben will look like a stranger without his white t-shirt uniform on film.”
Do Erin and Ben have any kids? (Are they planning on it?)
As of Season 1, Erin and Ben Napier didn’t have any children. Erin discussed her baby-related hopes, fears, and anxieties way back in 2014; here’s what she had to say:
Only a handful of our friends don’t have kids yet, so it’s on my mind constantly, though I don’t feel quite ready for it yet. Lucky Luxe [Erin’s correspondence business] has been our baby since we were married, but as it’s become more sustainable in the last few years, I find we’re talking about babies more. I’m still working on building up my courage for the physical realities (labor?! AH!) of having babies, but it’s definitely part of the plan. If we try and find we aren’t able to, we’ll adopt. It’ll all work out just the way God has planned for us, and thankfully, that means it’s not in our control. That’s all I know for sure.
However! In October of 2017, Erin revealed that she was “almost 7 months pregnant” with she and Ben’s first child! Their daughter will be named Helen, after Erin’s grandmother. And it pretty much goes without saying that she and Ben’s official pregnancy photo shoot–via Brooke Davis of Black Horn Productions–yielded what may be the most loving images of all time:
Erin and Ben also own two dogs: a pair of Great Pyrenees named Chevy and Baker.
What is Laurel Mercantile? Do Ben and Erin own it? Is it just their answer to Chip and Joanna’s Waco silos?
The Laurel Mercantile Company actually predates the Fixer Upper silos. It’s an “heirloom wares and durable goods” shop that the Napiers both own and curate with four of their friends. Located in downtown Laurel, the shop is part of Erin and Ben’s long-running attempt at “saving” the city (something that commercials for Home Town tend to play up). You can browse and shop online here. And here’s a shot of the exterior:
What does Erin and Ben’s infamous 1925 Laurel Craftsman home look like?
The Naiper Laurel house has been the subject of three high-profile articles and photo galleries (so far). In chronological order, they are the 2012 Hooked on Houses feature; the 2014 Southern Weddings article; and a Life at Cloverhill tour, also from 2014. We’ll close with a handful of shots of the house from Erin and Ben’s Instagram feeds:
Home Town airs Tuesday nights at 10 on HGTV.
(Photo credits: HGTV Home Town via Instagram)
