Gulfport company makes it on HGTV’s ‘Home Town’

A local business made its television debut Sunday on HGTV’s  “Home Town” filmed just north of the Coast in Jones County.

Co-host Ben Napier was a regular visitor to Newman’s Lumber in Gulfport before asking owner Doug Newman if he could buy some wood for the show.

“He came down and he had seen some of the wood that’s behind us — we have the Purple Heart,” said Newman. “And he’d always wanted to incorporate it in a project, so he had a project he was going to do with a show with that wood, and they wanted to show them actually coming down here and picking out the wood.

“So he came down here with his two sidekicks and looked through wood and picked it out and I got to show him around. It was a lot of fun.”

The TV crew were on site at Newman’s for five hours before wrapping.

“Home Town is a home-improvement show hosted by Ben and Erin Napier of Laurel, Mississippi. The show hit its stride after just a couple of seasons and became a national phenomenon.

It also jump-started Laurel’s tourism industry and became a factor in the city’s revitalization.

“Home Town” airs on HGTV on Sundays at 7 p.m.