Apr 25, 2025

The Heirloom Podcast: HGTV was NEVER the plan

At The Heirloom, we believe legacy is something you build long before anyone notices.

The saying is usually true: you have to work a decade to be an overnight success. In episode four of The Heirloom Podcast, we’re going back ten years before HGTV’s Hometown to where it all began: a forgotten downtown, a handful of empty buildings, and a few friends who believed Laurel was worth saving.

This week, Jim and I sit down inside the still-unfinished Heirloom Hotel to talk about how this all really started.

Before TV. Before the network. Before the show Home Town. What began as a passion project turned into a revival—and eventually, a story the world wanted to hear.

But we didn’t do it alone.

We talk about the early days with Ben & Erin, Jim & Mallorie, and Emily & me—the late nights, the potluck dinners, the Main Street meetings where a dozen people felt like a crowd.

We remember living in lofts over abandoned storefronts and trying to make something beautiful out of what everyone else had given up on.

You’ll hear:

Why legacy often starts in places no one’s looking
How storytelling—visual and physical—helped rebuild a town
The real reason we cut the neighbor’s grass at Christmas
What changed when the blog started getting noticed
And why HGTV was never the plan, but became part of the story

One of the things we’ve learned is that people don’t just fall in love with places—they fall in love with stories. And every good story has a beginning that doesn’t look like much at first.

This one started with a few friends, passion for their hometown, and the belief that if we could just clean up one corner of Laurel, something good might follow. Turns out, it did.

Things don’t always go the way you plan, and sometimes that’s the thing you end up most thankful for.

Thanks for joining us at The Heirloom as we continue exploring legacy.

– Josh Nowell & Jim Rasberry

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