The Heirloom Hotel Today: Jim, Mallorie and Josh Give an Update

HGTV’s Home Town spinoff, Home Town: Inn This Together, shows a true labor of love. Lifelong friends Jim and Mallorie Rasberry and Josh Nowell poured their hearts into a bold dream: transforming the historic Kress department store in their hometown of Laurel, Mississippi, into The Heirloom Hotel with help from their friends (and Home Town co-hosts) Ben and Erin Napier. But by the end of the series, due to unforeseen circumstances, the fate of the hotel becomes unknown. Now, in an interview with HGTV, Jim, Mallorie and Josh open up about where things stand for The Heirloom Hotel today.

In Conversation With Jim, Mallorie and Josh

HGTV: What’s the current state of The Heirloom?

Josh: For 20 years, we’ve been redoing our downtown and [The Heirloom] was the culmination of 20 years of work. It was our capstone project. And while the construction phase was a year and a half in the making, we’ve been planning this project for years. To see all of those plans go up in smoke ... it was hard to watch. But we’re builders, and we make things. We improve things. We now have a roof on the building, so we’ve saved the building. And that’s important to us because that building has stood as an icon in our downtown since we were little boys, Jim and me. We have not started construction yet on the inside to bring it back, but the building is safe, and we can properly evaluate what’s next.

Mallorie: That building, while we saved it, there were a few weeks where there was a big question mark about whether it could be saved. And I think that’s a testament to Josh and his group and his knowledge and background in historical preservation, just not letting that building go when most people absolutely would have, just because of the difficulty, the uncertainty and also the economics of it. That’s the thing about small-town revitalization. None of our projects have made sense on paper. The reality is, we know our town, we know our community, we know beyond spreadsheets and percentages what our town needs and what it can support. Financially speaking, that building ... was the most blaring example of something that financially just didn't make sense to rehab. But I think that speaks to Laurel, and it speaks to Josh specifically saying, "No, we’re going to save it. We’re going to do something that nobody else would do." And that’s the root of this entire project. The second phase is just going to be a continuation of that.

Jim: Every single thing in that building has been removed, and nothing was salvageable. We’re back to where we started, completely back to where we started, except we had to build a roof — that was a new part of the project. As Josh said, this project isn’t just 20 years of work; it’s 20 years of dreaming. We’ve wanted a hotel downtown, and we tried to recruit an outsider to build the hotel. We said, "Look, there’s a lot of people that come to our town. There’s a lot of industry here. Please build a nice boutique hotel." We could not find anyone to do it, because … the math wasn’t mathing. And we were like, fine, we’ll do it ... So yeah, it’s heartbreaking, but we are not where we were that day. We have a roof. It’s gutted. It’s ready to build back.

HGTV: Was there ever a moment when rebuilding felt impossible? If so, what convinced you to keep going?

Mallorie: I would say it ebbs and flows, especially early on. One minute you would talk to us, and we would be completely defeated and frustrated and just like, “I’m moving. I’m selling everything. I’m leaving Laurel.” And then the next day, someone would write a really sweet email or message, and we'd be like, "OK, we’re doing it. We’re back on." I think it’s just the stages of grief. We've had time to process things. It’s mainly this limbo of not knowing, like from a financial standpoint, if we can build back. That’s been the hardest part to come back from. Right afterward, every hour was a different emotion. But right now, overall, we’re positive, we’re excited. You know, we have many things to be thankful for. No one was hurt. The building was saved. There were many things that went our way that day that were hard to see immediately. There were definitely days we did not want to build back, but our love for our town and the people of Laurel and our core wish for Laurel supersedes any of that.

Josh: I’m a Christian, I follow the Lord, and I trust his sovereign plan even when I don’t understand it. And so, the fire happened, and although I can’t tell you why it happened, I’m sure that God is working on it … In my mind, it’s easy for me to see that five years from now, we’ll have a lot more insight into not why it happened, but how we overcame it and what strength was developed in it. When you’re in the middle of that race, and you’re running and you’re getting blisters on your feet and you’re saying, "Why am I running this race?" That’s when it’s challenging, you know? Mallorie said to me ... “Something is broken and I want to fix it.” And I said, “We’re going to rebuild it. We’re going to rebuild it. We’re going to rebuild it.” And she said, “What if this is God’s way of telling us not to rebuild it?” And I said, “He’s going to have to go a lot harder because the building is still standing.” I was already thinking about how we could salvage it.

HGTV: The Heirloom was designed with so many thoughtful spaces, from the guest rooms to the cooking school. As you look ahead, what excites you most about what the building could still become?

Josh: Say you’re a do-it-yourselfer, and you’re going to remodel your first house. It can turn out well because you put so much energy into it. But if you keep on doing it, later you realize you’re way better at it than you were then. And I’ve learned that while that hotel was the high watermark of our ability to design and build, I believe that years from now, we’ll have even greater knowledge about building and making our hotel better. For me, I don’t want to build it back the exact same way. I think emotionally, it’s very difficult to do that. There’s not anything exciting or motivating about that. In some ways, I’m inspired by modifying the space somewhat, not completely.

Mallorie: I feel like that, too. There’s definitely things ... I was thinking, "Oh gosh, this is a great opportunity, I didn’t like how this was or if we do get to rebuild, there’s definitely things that, given a second opportunity, you’re gonna do better." I think that’s just with everything, right? I’m really excited about what that building looks like next. When we were putting the roof back on, we were racing against time because it was open to the elements, yet I kind of teased Josh that we should just go ahead and do a complete steel structure so we could add that rooftop bar that everyone wants.

Jim: Josh talked about how the basement was completely underwater and that was a little bit of an inspiration for me. I look forward to having a pool outside after the rebuild. I think a pool with cabanas would be a nice addition that we need to be thinking about.

Josh: Jim has wanted a pool with cabanas from the beginning.

HGTV: Josh, you talked about wanting your children to grow up believing they don’t have to leave a small town to do something meaningful. Has this experience changed what legacy means to you?

Josh: I have thought about this idea of legacy a lot. What will our legacy be? ... [I told my oldest son] ... "Son, God gave me the strength to build it one time. I’m sure he’ll give me the strength to build it again." That’s how we handle adversity. That’s how we handle difficulty. We keep going. That moment taught me my legacy is not brick. It’s not mortar. It’s not the building. It’s not any of those things. It’s what I do to face adversity in front of my children that’s going to leave a bigger mark in their lives than the thing.

HGTV: Mallorie, your vision for the hotel centered around creating memory-making moments. How have you recently channeled that same sense of purpose?

Mallorie: We were just talking about this. For the last nine months, I have kind of retreated a bit to home and to the girls. We’re starting a project at home, hopefully in a few weeks. I guess, in a way, I coped in that sense of like, "If I can’t have it at the hotel, then I’m going to just make what I do have better." So, you know, hospitality and making people feel welcome and comfortable, I think, is in everything that we do here in Laurel. And it’s been easy to just find other avenues to pour into.

HGTV: Jim, you were so focused on the financial realities. How do you find a new way forward?

Jim: [In the beginning], the stress was somewhat self-generated. It was the thought of, "What if we don’t have enough money? What would we do if we weren’t able to pay for this because the loan didn’t come in?" We were running through our liquid cash. It was stressful ... Looking back, it’s like, "Wow, I thought that was stressful?" That earlier stress was nothing compared to this. Josh always reminds me that nothing is left to our control, that this is God’s plan and that the most stressed we are is when you think you are in control and that you’ve got to figure things out. And so, I think the perspective right now is, "Hey, we’re here. We’re in this spot, and for better or worse, we’ll get out of it, and we’ll see the other end of it." It’s really difficult when that’s a long road, but it makes no sense to be worried or stressed out about it because it could always be worse. This is an example of not getting caught up in the stress of the day because it’s not in our hands anyway.

HGTV: There was so much symbolism in the fact that The Heirloom sign is still standing. What does that mean to you?

Josh: The sign is still standing ... It's been through a lot. We’ve got to do some touch-up paint and make some repairs. The control systems are gone, but the LED channel still works. I have a little secret — some inside news just for you. We tested it, and we still have power. Hopefully, we’re going to do a little celebration soon and make it shine over our city again.

HGTV: You’ve worked closely with Erin and Ben across so many projects — what has it meant to have their support throughout the building of this hotel and the aftermath?

Mallorie: Having Ben and Erin as cheerleaders ... has been super meaningful to us. Everything we’ve done for our businesses up to this point has been together — The Mercantile, The Scotsman, The Scent Library. So, this [the hotel] was a scenario where it was just us. [The Napiers did not have a financial stake in The Heirloom], but they were still actively involved, giving us input, helping us out when we needed it. On the show, we did scenes where I’m asking Erin about the overall designs of the room, but in reality, it was a text thread that we talked in every day. I would send her a picture of a piece of fabric or a paint color that I was thinking about, and she would give me input. Just having that sounding board, more than anything else, has been really helpful for me. Most of the time, she would say, “Yeah, I love it. Let’s do that. You’re on the right track.” And then there were a few times where she’d say, “Have you ever thought about this?” I didn’t have a huge team. I didn’t have the resources a lot of hotel developers do. So, in that way, it was really, really helpful to have Erin's advice on a project of this scale.

Jim: I think having the support of your friends and family in anything you do is important, whether it’s a renovation project of a commercial building or just making life decisions. You want to have people that you can trust around you, ones you know have your best interests at heart. And so, their support has been important, no doubt about it.

HGTV: After everything you’ve been through, what keeps you moving forward?

Josh: I think what you have to do is set a destination that is your goal. You have to say, "I’m going to do this." You call on people that you trust to help you and you make it happen. And you don’t change your destination just because it gets hard. We set out to build a hotel. That was our destination. And, Lord willing, that’s what we’re going to do. As long as we can, we’re going to keep pressing toward that destination.

HGTV: Fans who follow this journey are going to want to know how your story ends. If rebuilding The Heirloom is part of your future, would you consider sharing that process publicly?

Mallorie: Honestly ... we were like, "Are they even going to air this show? Should they air it?" Because you have all of this effort, time and love go into this project, and it’s gone just like that … How do you make sense of it all? [But] ultimately … yes, of course. This story was so beautiful. The story of why we were doing it is still there. And if we get to tell that story again, I think it’s even more powerful the second time. Personally speaking, I don’t want the end of our story to be that last minute of the fourth episode. I don’t want that to be my legacy. I want to see what’s next. And I want the public to be able to see that, too, because that's the story of Laurel. I don’t know what’s next, but we’re going to keep pushing forward. And so, I think the story is even more powerful now.

Jim: We are in this place for a reason, and I don’t believe that God has placed us here for this to be the end of the line. And if he sees fit that we add more to this story, then absolutely, we would love to share that story.

How to Watch Home Town: Inn This Together

Home Town: Inn This Together premieres Sunday, May 10 at 8|7c on HGTV. Each new episode will be available to stream the next day on HBO Max. Get the la latest Inn This Together news at HGTV.com and via @HGTV and #HomeTownInnThisTogether on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and YouTube.