'Home Town Takeover': Erin and Ben Napier transform 'Big Fish' house, Jerry's Barber Shop with Wendell Holland
For Ben and Erin Napier, revamping the city of Wetumpka, Alabama, has turned into a project that is close to home. Seeing that the town was in need of a makeover, the HGTV hosts decided to do just that, in their newest series, 'Home Town Makeover'. But, as fate would have it, they're don't just revamp the place, but also bring the community together.
Seeing that the duo will be taking up 12 major renovations in and around Wetumpka, they've decided to cash in on some help from their HGTV friends. This week, they had Wendell Holland from 'Hot Mess House' help them out, as they took on two projects. The first is the iconic 'Big Fish' house, seen in the Tim Burton movie, which is now owned by the Whitfield family. The second project is Jerry's Barber Shop, which belongs to Wetumpka's mayor, Jerry Willis.
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How did Erin and Ben renovate the 'Big Fish' house?
Erin and Ben were both instantly aware of the pressure faced by Wade and Shellie Whitfield. Their house was an iconic landmark that often brought tourists into town. But that also meant that the townspeople were depending on them to restore their house keeping in mind that it was a tourist attraction.
This was no easy feat, seeing that parts of the house were tweaked with, specifically for the movie, and then left that way, making it hard to live in. Erin and Ben focused on making lasting changes as opposed to just fixing a few small things.
They renovated the kitchen entirely, opening it up to allow a lot more natural light in and creating more space. Erin also went with a muted but fun colour palette, seeing that Shellie herself is an artist who enjoys creating.
For the drawing-room, the Napiers drew inspiration from the original 'Big Fish' movie -- they managed to get custom wallpaper created, similar to the one used in the movie version of the home, and even added sconces like the ones in the movie.
Ben, who is known for his woodwork, salvaged wooden rails from across Wetumpka to create a beautifully customized rail for the staircase that truly stood out, next to Erin's gallery wall, which featured artwork and photos of the family.
Wendell Holland's 'special project'
With a keen eye for design and infectious enthusiasm, Holland was set to work, not just on the 'Big Fish' house, but also help around the neighborhood. The ultimate aim was to give the entire place a lease of new life. Having roped in the entire community, Holland got everyone to repaint their front doors, using bright and vibrant colors.
It was truly heartwarming to see everyone come together and get their hands dirty, as Holland explained that this was a fun and simple project that can be taken up by anyone, which adds a ton of value to a place.
Jerry's Barber Shop makeover
Seeing that the mayor of Wetumpka, Jerry Willis, is also the owner of a barbershop, one that he's worked at for 50 odd years, the Napiers decided to surprise him by renovating it. The community spoke very highly of Jerry Willis and seeing that he was re-elected as mayor for the fourth time, it was clear that the townspeople love him just as much as he does them.
For Erin and Ben, taking on the barbershop was like unearthing a treasure trove, seeing that it came with a ton of history, both inside and out. The couple even heard of a few interesting tales associated with the place.
Willis told them of the time that the previous owner, a dentist, was shot right outside the shop because of which, there was a bullet hole in the main door. As the couple took down the entire shop to renovate it, the gems they stumbled upon were endless.
Erin's design approach
Erin wanted to give the place an old-school vibe of a traditional barbershop. For that, they got rid of the drop ceiling and the partition, which opened up the space instantly. They went with exposed brick walls, a leather seating area and antique barbershop chairs as well as other furnishings.
For the main wall, they decided to frame all the equipment Willis had saved over the years, such as his first license, the first pair of clippers he purchased, his razor, etc, turning that wall into a mini-museum gallery of sorts.
The Napiers even got Holland to help out on a special project for the shop. Seeing that the First Presbyterian Church, a historic landmark that was ravaged in the 2019 tornado meant a lot to the city, Holland decided to get creative.
He visited the now rebuilt church and manage to salvage some of the reclaimed wood from the previous structure. This wood had great sentimental value for the mayor, so Holland used it to create a wooden wall in the barbershop that went with the vibe of the place. Willis was absolutely thrilled to see the old church's material repurposed for the shop and so was his faithful clientele.
You can watch 'Home Town Takeover' on HGTV on Sundays at 8 pm ET/PT and stream the same on Discovery+.
