Laurel Loves Home Town
Smith Reveal on HGTV Home Town, by RTR Media
HGTV Home Town is all about revitalizing Small Town America, as well as nesting and re-nesting new and old Laurel families. We could not be more excited or grateful to have the HGTV team in Laurel for a second season.
Did y’all catch the newest episode of Home Town last night? There were a couple real friendly faces who found their forever home in Laurel, MS! Aly Smith (manager of Laurel Mercantile Co.) and her husband Jordan picked the Thompson house, a beautiful Italianate that needed a face-lift.
We got to see our great friend Chad Evans in the Scotsman Co. Wood Shop, Mr. Mike the Floor Man, The Laurel Leaf, our Norman Construction guys, and of course Erin, Ben, and Mallorie!
Big City Traffic for our Home Town
Over the last 10 years, exponentially the last 5 or so, Laurel has bloomed into not only a weekend destination, but a perfect place to fulfill your small town dreams. We’ve had the gift of making so many new Laurelites feel welcome and at home in their new houses, and we just can’t describe how wonderful that is.
There’s much to attribute to Laurel’s booming success, but one big reason is definitely HGTV Home Town.
We are proud to say that our business, as well as others in the Downtown area, has significantly increased since the pilot. We experience more foot and digital traffic, as well as more opportunities to meet some really great people.
Not to mention, the design team on Home Town shops local! Not only us, but many businesses in the Laurel area have been featured on television for millions of people to see. (Thanks, HGTV!)
If you’re interested in seeing a full list of every piece in the houses of Home Town, RTR Media has a rolling archive full of design goods used in the episodes on their website. (Including Lott Furniture Co. products!)
Speaking of Lott Furniture Co., we’ve got some fun behind the scenes from the The Hurt House for you guys!
Home Town Meets Lott Furniture
Back in August, the Home Town crew came to visit us in search of a bed for the Hurts in episode 1. They chose our favorite iron bed, and even found something unexpected!
We had lots of fun with the cast and crew, including a coffee break with Big Ben and Patrick, Home Town’s amazing director for Season 2.
After browsing our bedroom options, Rodney offered up a tour to Erin and Mallorie to visit our third floor!
“They literally gave me one day warning, so there was no time to do anything special for the shoot. I was so nervous, but Erin and Mallorie made me feel pretty comfortable in front of the camera. The RTR gang are just as friendly and warm as they are professional. Patrick, the director, and Angie, the producer, felt like old friends after a few minutes. The biggest shock was how honest the show is. I was prepared to follow direction, but that’s not how it’s done. They capture real moments. What you see is unrehearsed. Our conversations were spontaneous and Erin and Mallorie had no idea what I was taking them upstairs to see. I love sharing how real Home Town is with locals and visitors!” -Rodney Rowell on his experience shooting for HGTV Home Town at Lott Furniture Co.
The Grand Tour
Here’s a great photo of the Hurts’ bedroom, featuring our heirloom iron bed and the wooden boxes on the left! Taken from RTR Media
Our third floor is a grand storage room of sorts that holds every record we own since 1917. Because Lott Furniture Co. is technically 3 buildings, we’ve got 3 distinct areas on the third floor. (Fun fact: Our address is technically 318-322 Front St.!)
The far left used to be a boarding house, where we still have 4 specified “bedrooms” off of a large hallway with multiple fireplaces. Also on that side is a large common area where we have placed our elevator used for transporting heavy furniture.
Our “middle” room is one big, open record room. We have dozens of boxes and old filing cabinets just full to the brim of old letters and receipts. Many of the wooden boxes were even built by Mr. Lott himself!
Our far right side is called “Miss Pat’s Room”, named after Rodney’s sister. Lots of her old clothes and antiques are stored in there, as well as some of our work benches, vintage sewing machines, and various parts and hardware.
Erin and Mallorie absolutely loved the wooden record boxes, and we let them have 3 of them to create some beautiful shadow boxes in the Hurt House!
A long-lasting collaboration
We are so proud of Erin & Ben, the cast and crew of HGTV Home Town, and most of all of our local folks who help make it happen. We’re not just talking about working with Home Town; we’re thankful for all of our fellow merchants who collaborate, support, and act so down-right neighborly to us 24/7.
We hope that all of our Downtown friends will continue to support the HGTV effort, welcome visitors with open arms, and maintain the strong camaraderie we’ve already established.
Therefore, we welcome you all to ride this tidal wave with us that doesn’t have to end. Let’s use this influx of interest, business, and exponential success to thrive for years to come.
Make sure to watch HGTV Home Town on Monday nights at 9/8 PM Central! We live tweet at @lottfurniture with the whole #LiveTweetCrew! Last night, we all got Home Town trending at #2 on Twitter!
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-Keri Rowell, Lott Furniture Co.
Keri Rowell is part of Downtown Laurel’s most historic business, Lott Furniture Co. A Laurel native and Historic District resident, Keri enjoys exploring all of the beautiful spaces and places in her Home Town, discovering the hidden tales buried deep within its history, and sharing them with the world. When you visit Downtown Laurel, you might just spot her out exploring, dreaming up the next story to share with you.