Step Inside the Downtown Transformation From ‘Home Town Takeover’ Season 3

After transforming Wetumpka, Alabama, and Fort Morgan, Colorado, in the first two seasons of Home Town Takeover, hosts Ben and Erin Napier headed to the Sunshine State. Sebring, Florida, is a sweet town situated on Lake Jackson and famous for its Sebring International Raceway. The town had everything it needed to thrive, but its community was floundering. The highway pulled traffic away from the downtown area, and the battering of hurricane storms made it difficult to get traction because the residents were constantly fixing damage.

Ben and Erin are taking four months to change this small town. “We’re going to make it alive in places it hasn’t been alive in a long time,” said Erin.

Sebring is known as “The City on the Circle” because its downtown area is designed around a circular park. The Napiers started the downtown revitalization with a store that has been a part of Sebring for generations: Sebring Soda. The first order of business was removing the drop ceiling (which revealed transom windows!) and refreshing the shop’s original robin’s egg blue walls. Erin kept the original paint color at the top of the wall and then color-matched it to use throughout the rest of the store. A new menu board is flanked by repurposed vintage cabinets that display all the colorful sodas.

Part of the Napiers’ revitalization strategy was to bring art into the community. In each of their Home Town Takeover cities, the couple added murals. “It becomes an economic driver because people stand there for photo ops and share them throughout the world,” said Ben.

Since most of the oranges in America come from Florida, the Napiers wanted a mural inspired by the surrounding orange groves. Local artist Frankie Flowers turns a building wall in The Circle into a stunning three-dimensional mural.

Sebring Soda’s transformation also featured a variety of seating and hangout spots: outdoor tables, a huge interior table for large crowds, standing-room-only bar tops and an enormous banquette for date nights (inspired by the Napiers) or friend gatherings. “Sebring Soda was always a gathering place, but now it needs to be a memory-making place,” said Erin.

Each year, Sebring Soda hosts the Sebring Soda Festival, which brings tons of visitors to the area. The owners, Daniel and Liz, are passionate about their community and wanted to grow The Circle; they just didn’t have the funds. Now, the bright space is a cornerstone business.

Florida native and singer-songwriter Ashley Cooke headlined the party celebrating Home Town Takeover’s massive success. In only four months, the Napiers, along with their team and HGTV designers, completely transformed this formerly dead downtown area into a destination tourists and locals will enjoy.

Ben and Erin also went out into the community to help the town’s biggest change-makers. Aisha Alayande is the founder of The Doula Project and an advocate for women and families. Her home is close to the downtown area, and in addition to a complete home renovation, they turned the front yard into a community garden. Everything they planted is edible and invites passersby in to check it out.

Getting young people interested in being downtown is how you save it. Erin came up with a fun idea to paint murals in the crosswalks of The Circle, and more than 50 volunteers showed up to help paint. Local artist and teacher Geli created paint-by-color designs in the crosswalks and kids of all ages took to the streets — literally — to create incredible, colorful artwork.

The Sebring Soap Company sits on one of the side streets downtown and, before the renovation, was often missed. So, the Napiers enlisted the artists at Frankie Flowers to create an enticing mural. Now, the wall of art catches visitors’ attention and brings them down the street to this gorgeous shop.

Over the years, downtown has stalled out. This pink building had housed numerous businesses and had been empty for a long time. Ben and Erin knew it was important for The Circle to give it a much-needed facelift. “When you take a landmark building that’s been vacant for a long time and change the way it looks, it really does change the way people think about their downtown. They won’t look at The Circle and think it’s dead down there. They’ll think it’s turning around,” said Erin.

Most businesses close early in The Circle, so it was essential to bring nightlife to the downtown area. The owners of Sophie’s Cafe purchased the old Salvation Army building to open their second location, so Ben and Erin stepped in to help them transform the space. Inside, Ben and Erin played up the building’s historic architectural features, like the original oak floors. They also showcased the Cuban heritage of the restaurant. Woven light fixtures, cane-back chairs, potted palm trees and a family legacy wall of photographs all combine with creamy walls and vintage blue wainscoting.

Florida is known for colorful homes and buildings. Now, The Circle's shops are touched with brilliant color and standout awnings that bring people inside.

Built in 1923, The Circle Theatre had just celebrated its centennial when the Napiers arrived. “This building has been present for the entire history of Sebring. Places like this are important. It’s an identity landmark for Sebring,” said Erin. Before the renovation, the building was mostly used to host business gatherings. Now, it’s an event space enjoyed by locals and tourists. Inside, Erin and Ben created grand art deco interiors that feel modern. They also painted the exterior a faded shade of blue and hung a marquee.