The art of woodworking is not an easy craft to master. Shaping rough wood into smooth furniture can be difficult and frustrating.When the building gets tough, it's always good toremember thewhy behind the build. For Josh, Ben’s old friend and wood-shop sidekick, the answer is simple.Thewhy is not for fame, applause, or notoriety. Instead, Josh's work is about creating a lasting legacy, namely for his four young children.
“My first solo build was our 12 ft dining room table. When we bought our old house, we needed to fill the large dinning room. I decided to builda table because I loved the idea of our children growing up around one their daddy built. It was an 80-hour labor of love. When Ifinished it, Emily was pregnant with our first child. We wondered if we would everneedseating for so many! Then, we were surprised to find out we were pregnant with our second child only six months later. Now, six years later, we have four children, two dogs andhardlyenough room forthe entire family.”
When Josh started woodworking, the process was trying to his patience. As it turns out,turningwood into furnitureis easy compared to building children into adults. He wittily compares his experience with different wood speciesto the demeanor of his kids.
“Cedar is a lot like my oldest son, Sam. Cedar is soft, forgiving, and smells good. He was our first and hardest baby; it felt like he didn’t sleep the first seven months of his life, but he has grown to be pliable and quick to listen when youcorrecthim.
My youngest child, Nora, is just 10 months old. She’s a happy baby and pleasant to work with— kind of like high-grade oak. Oak cuts smooth with no issues.
Teddy, my second son, was born only fifteen months after Sam. It turned out to be a huge blessing because they’re best friends. Teddy is like pine. It’s soft and behaves well. You hit a knot every now and again, but it's pretty easy to get back on track.
I skipped my three-year-old little girl on purpose,"Josh laughs.
"Irene islike anexotic hardwood. Maybe Ipe. No, she's much harder than that. She is more like petrified wood. You try to put a blade on it, and it just grinds it out. You need a cutting torch to get through it, but man, it’s beautiful when you finally get it to work with you. She’s very spirited.”
Josh has worked on Ben's builds for Home Town since the beginning when their woodshop was in the back of an old drugstore building in downtown Laurel. He recalls hisfavorite build from Season 5is the cedar shelves for the Moffett House.
"We had planned to use invisible supports, but we had to modify our plan since the supports were on backorder. We ended up working on those shelves until 3am the night before the reveal. When we went to install them, we came up with an idea to make it visually attractive. The shortest shelf would be on the bottom and aligned to the right. It was a lot of work, but it ended up looking intentional like some tree spreading upward on the wall. That’s kind of the joy of woodworking. You work towards a plan in your mind, but the wood may inspire you to go in a different direction.”
Josh admits that his time in the woodshop is limited due to the responsibilities of raisingfour children and operating multiple businesses.
“Ben is usually filming 12 hours a day, and I’m generally working onbusiness operations with our partner Jim Rasberry. Neither of uscanbe in thewoodshopas much as we’d like. We both have wood stacked invariouscorners, and wetellRandy to keep it because it will be something beautiful one day very soon. Randylikes to remind us of the age ofeach stack like some forestercounting ancient tree rings. Some have been there fortwoor three years if that tells youanything.
Ben designs each piece, and Randy preps the wood and gets everything ready for filming. We’re super appreciative of his craftsmanship. In fact, I think Randy is a better woodworker than me. He is usually the one who finds the flaw in our designs. That’s what’s fun about working with reclaimed wood. You may be working in one direction, but the wood stubbornly refuses to go that way.”
When Josh finds time to get in the woodshop for fun, he sees this craft as a mystery at times. The rhythms of woodworking never change, but ironically, the woodworker does.
“It is tough to woodwork. You have to work and sweat and give up something else to do it well. It’s frustrating when you mis-cut and must cut again. You are trying to bend this hard substance to your will. You’re trying to turn it into the image you see in your head, and the process changes you. You think you’reshaping wood, but then you realize, it's actually shapingyou into a more patient person, a more gracious neighbor, and abetterparent. And all of this because you were sweating over that pine joist that just wouldn’t bend."
"You set out to build an heirloom piece of furniture thinking that it will be your legacy. But, you find out the wood marked you as much as you marked the wood and that ends upbeing a longer-lasting legacy."
Shop Josh's Woodshop Collection here!
FAQs
In addition to leading the candle store renovation project, Josh and his wife spent years working as oil and gas professionals and founders of Petrolia Land Co. and invested in more historic real estate in Laurel, Josh's hometown.
Is Josh Nowell from Home Town married? ›
Josh and his wife Emily Nowell have been married for several years. In fact, on the Laurel Mercantile website, they shared the story of their very interesting first meeting. "A blind date brought us together after graduating from Ole Miss (Josh) and the University of Southern Miss (Emily)," they recounted.
Are Jim and Mallorie from Home Town married? ›
She is one of the co-owners of Laurel Mercantile Co., the online retailer and series of storefronts that sell American-made home and lifestyle products. In addition to her DIY expertise and home decorating skills, Mallorie, an accountant, also owns the firm Rasberry Financial Services with her husband, Jim Rasberry.
How do Ben and Erin get paid? ›
Ben and Erin Napier likely make a handsome sum per episode.
In addition to hosting Home Town, Ben and Erin have also appeared on spin-offs and specials on HGTV and Discovery Plus including Home Town: Ben's Workshop, Home Town Takeover, Home Town Takeover: Where Are They Now, and Home Town Kickstart.
Does Ben actually do the work on Home Town? ›
Ben Napier, one of the hosts of "Home Town" on HGTV, is not a contractor or a carpenter as some might assume due to his involvement with wood-related work on the show. However, Country Living reports that Napier is actually a woodworker who makes furniture.
Who owns the Scotsman company in Laurel, Mississippi? ›
US-Made dry goods & workwear | Woodshop | Food truck park | Owned by Erin & Ben Napier of HGTV's Home Town in Laurel, MS #ScotsmanCo 🇺🇸
Who owns the Laurel Mercantile? ›
BEN & ERIN NAPIER
We're a couple whom our friends and neighbors might assert are attached at the hip based on how often they've seen us apart from one another.
How many stores do Ben and Erin own? ›
Erin and Ben Napier have three TV shows, two stores and a handful of new business ventures on the horizon — but their world still centers on two little girls. The Home Town stars welcomed their second daughter, Mae, 7 months, last spring and share daughter Helen, 3.
What religion is Ben from Home Town? ›
Ben grew up Christian, and both of his parents are ministers. One of his fondest memories is when they baptized Helen on Father's Day 2018 following her January birth of that year. "It's going to be tough to top that,” he told People, admitting he cried a lot.
Why is Mike not on Home Town anymore? ›
Eventually, Erin took to Twitter to explain what happened to the beloved flooring master. “Guys, I know y'all miss Mike. We do too! He's on a leave of absence caring for a family member with a long-term illness,” the graphic designer explained in a January 2022 tweet.
It all comes down to the budget
Further, Erin often uses some of the pieces that were already in the home, which the client obviously keeps. However, not everything is covered by the budget, so if the homeowners want to keep some extra pieces, they'll need to pay for them.
Are Erin and Mallorie related? ›
Mallorie is also on the team for the Rasberry Producer Group, and co-owns Rasberry Financial Services with her husband, Jim Rasberry. Fun fact — Jim is actually Erin's first cousin! So Erin and Mallorie are technically related thanks to Mallorie marrying Jim!
Do Ben and Erin have a nanny? ›
“You've got to have great grandmothers,” she said. “And we have an awesome nanny — it was my babysitter when I was little,” Erin explained, noting that “she's like family to us.” She also mentioned that she and Ben set clear boundaries when filming “Home Town.”
Who was the Home Town buyer who died? ›
What Happened to John Combe After 'Home Town'? Two months after the episode aired on HGTV, Erin announced in an Instagram post that John had died at the age of 70.
Who pays for furniture in Home Town? ›
"The homeowners' budget usually does allow for lots of pieces they get to keep + the custom pieces @scotsman.co builds for each home and I like to use the homeowner's own furnishings and objects as much as possible," Erin wrote. As for other HGTV shows, it depends.
What does Jim on Home Town do for a living? ›
Jim Rasberry
In 2002, Jim founded Rasberry Financial Services, which has become a premier firm in the Southeast offering investment and retirement planning services to personal clients and businesses.
What happened to Mike the floor guy on Home Town? ›
Eventually, Erin took to Twitter to explain what happened to the beloved flooring master. “Guys, I know y'all miss Mike. We do too! He's on a leave of absence caring for a family member with a long-term illness,” the graphic designer explained in a January 2022 tweet.
How many businesses do the Napiers own? ›
Erin & Ben – Laurel Mercantile. Erin and Ben Napier have three TV shows, two stores and a handful of new business ventures on the horizon — but their world still centers on two little girls.
