A new TV series focusing on a couple determined to rescue old houses and make a big difference in a tiny Southern town has transformed the Mississippi town of Laurel.
Although organizations of volunteers came together a decade ago and started the collective effort of rebranding, reimagining, and revitalizing the town by drawing on its historic past, the HGTV series “Home Town” supercharged the area’s urban renewal.
“Practically every abandoned building has been restored and repurposed,” says Cheryl Jordan, AE of the Laurel Board of REALTORS®. The once-sleepy streets of downtown are alive and bustling, and loft apartments downtown are at 100 percent occupancy.
Jordan says her association website hits have tripled to 90,000 a month since the pilot of “Home Town” aired last year. “With interest in our market building since the series premiere in March of 2017, our membership has grown from 98 to nearly 120,” she says.
Ten new episodes airing in 2017 will no doubt bring recognition, tourists, and revenue to the area. “Speculation is about to become reality in our small town,” says Jordan. “One thing is certain: The Laurel Board of REALTORS® is eager to represent itself as an organization of educated, fair, and enthusiastic professionals on the forefront of something rarely seen in a town so small.”