Erin Napier asks for prayers at a difficult time

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Erin Napier

Erin Napier of HGTV’s “Hometown” has lived her entire life in Laurel, Mississippi. As in many small towns, this means she is aware of what is going on in her community and can be a part of both the good times and the bad.

Yesterday morning, January 31st, Napier shared some of this bad news with her fans and followers and asked for positive thinking. Napier wrote in her Instagram story, “I need you all to pray now for a woman named Jan Walker who loves this town. She is in critical brain surgery with a daughter, husband and grandchild who are waiting and hoping for a miracle. Pray with us for her healing and wisdom for her neurosurgeon. Amen.”

Erin Napier did not share the details of Jan Walker’s condition and treatment due to privacy concerns.

Daughter of Jan Walker appeared in “Home Town”

Although Jan Walker never appeared on “Home Town,” her daughter Caroline Burk did make an appearance when she moved back to Laurel, Mississippi with her husband Cory Burke. The two opened a men’s outfitter, Guild & Nobilityin the heart of the city, hoping to find a permanent home for herself and her future family.

The Burks appeared in the second season, episode nine of the series entitled “Little Rough, Little Refined”. In the episode, viewers were able to see the Burks buying “The Ratcliff House,” but what they couldn’t see was the backstory of why they made that choice, which Erin and Ben Napier told their website’s blog in a post by Caroline.

“I knew about this house because I’d always loved it,” Caroline wrote, “It was on my family’s route to church, so I’ve driven past it at least six times a week for over a decade of my life.” Caroline let Cory have these felt a special bond with home, and the couple had almost made up their minds when Caroline went out to lunch with her mother the next day.

While Caroline was having lunch with her mother, “a friend of my mother’s stopped by our table to talk to us. Rebecca Patrick and my mother went to college together, and after the usual pleasantries, Rebecca asked where we lived since we moved away because her father’s house had come up on the market.” Patrick had pitched her father’s house, and though Caroline’s Since her heart was set on the Ratcliff house, she agreed to visit Patrick’s father’s house. As fate would have it, Rebecca Patrick’s maiden name was Rebecca Ratcliff, and the house she hoped Caroline might be interested in ended up being the very house Caroline had already settled on.

Patrick later shared the same story for Laurel’s local publication, The Call of the Laurel Leader.

Erin & Ben Napier highlight Laurel, Mississippi on their blog

Erin and Ben Napier love Laurel, Mississippi, and their work on Home Town is a testament to their commitment to making Laurel a thriving city and community.

Earlier this month, the Napiers shared a blog post titled “Visit like a local”, in which they recommended local hotspots for tourists hoping to get the full “hometown” experience. While the post directs visitors to all of Napier’s shops (including Laurel Mercantile, Scotsman Trading Co. and Erin’s newest candle shop, the fragrance library), it also shares some of Napier’s most popular local shops, museums, and historic sites food truck.

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