'Home Town: Inn This Together’ owners share exciting update after devastating fire at Heirloom Hotel
'Home Town' stars Ben and Erin Napier recently appeared on the spin-off series 'Inn This Together,' which aired in May on HGTV. The Napiers joined their renovation partners, Jim Rasberry, Mallorie Rasberry, and Josh Nowell, for a massive undertaking: renovating the dilapidated 1930s Kress building in downtown Laurel, Mississippi, and turning it into the sprawling, luxurious Heirloom Hotel. However, on August 26, 2025, days before the hotel's grand opening, a massive fire tore through the building as a result of an electrical issue, damaging most of its interiors. Since the building was unoccupied at the time, there were no injuries or casualties, but the hotel suffered significant water and fire damage.
The four-part series aired on HGTV between May 10 and May 31 and documented the hotel's renovation and rebuilding efforts following the tragic fire. After the series finale, the hotel's owners received overwhelming support from fans wanting to help out. On June 1, they announced on Instagram that they had repurposed the hotel’s original flooring into photo rails that fans could purchase to help with rebuilding costs. "Most everything was not salvageable, but we couldn’t see these floors, that have seen so many generations, just be thrown in the dumpster too. A way we could bring these floors one more life, was for our team to make them into these photo rails for your home or any space that you want to display your cherished images or even heirloom recipes. It makes us feel encouraged as we look at these, that no matter how damaged—beautiful things can still come from the ashes."
Recently, the hotel owners, Mallorie and Jim, and Josh and his wife, Emily, shared a heartwarming update about the photo rails on the Napiers' flagship hometown store, Laurel Mercantile's website. They were happy to announce that the photo rail collection had sold out. "Wow, what an unbelievable display of support and encouragement you have shown to us and our whole team! We have been absolutely overwhelmed with orders and need time now to catch up on fulfilling them. Rest assured, we are working hard to get your piece of the Heirloom in the mail as quickly as possible, so please be patient as we work to fulfill all of orders. Once we are caught up, we will restock and continue to offer as many Heirloom Photo Rails as we have materials to make." They also thanked fans for their continued support, saying, "The emails, calls, texts, messages, and love we have received from everyone who has responded are simply inspiring. So many have brought us to tears. We can’t thank you all enough, and hope you’ll follow along as we work to Keep Building." The Heirloom Hotel is still in the process of being rebuilt, and the hotel's grand opening has been pushed back indefinitely.
