HGTV stars reveal why it's bliss to live in a small town

HGTV's Home Town stars Ben and Erin Napier explained it is possible for people to 'have it all' while living in a small town ahead of their season premiere.

The couple restores properties around their small hometown of Laurel, Mississippi on their successful HGTV show Home Town, which debuted in 2016.

With season eight of the program set to premiere on December 29, the couple hopes it will convince viewers small towns can offer just as much as big cities.

'People just have it in their mind what it is to live in a small town and what it isn't,' Erin told Fox News Digital. 

'You can have your hot sauce and salsa farm in the middle of town, and you can build a school for children who are underserved. You can do anything in a small town. And that's the story that's so fun to tell for us.

'And I hope that the more you watch Home Town, the more you see that you can live the dream.'

Erin revealed on Instagram Wednesday they have wrapped up filming their 130th episode of the show.

'I feel so lucky that my job is to tell happy stories about a place I love with the love of my life at work beside me every day,' she said.

'Feeling so thankful for this production team and the work they do, and wishing I had taken more photos of everyone this year that don't give away the reveals!'

The couple teased that the first six episode of the new season will show them working on projects they have never done before. 

'That's big,' Ben said. 'I mean, we're going to tear down a house. There is a house that we thought we could fix. 

'There is a garden and greenhouse coming. There is a school that we're building. It's a lot of stuff.'

The Napier's celebrated their 16th wedding anniversary on November 22 and have two daughters, Helen, 6, and Mae, 3.

In a series of Instagram posts, Erin shared the couple met in 2004 when Ben was selected for an interview in their college yearbook and Erin was helping with the photoshoot.

She said she had a crush on him prior to their meeting but they had only talked a handful of times, so she was excited for the opportunity. 

'By December 13, [Ben] had met both my parents,' Erin said. 'He had no money, no prospects, and they knew that and they both loved him instantly anyway and said so – they'd never even pretended to tolerate any boys before that. 

'We'd been inseparable for 6 days. His shirts all had my lip gloss imprinted on the chest because I wasn't used to hugging someone so tall yet.'

Erin explained the two fell in love almost immediately and agreed they would get married.  

'We never stopped talking. We had 19 and 21 years to catch up on, and there was no detail too trivial. Ben says his mom told him "you marry the one you never want to stop talking to." 

'So 6 days after meeting, and 2 days before we would be on a one month Christmas break apart, he told me "I think I'm in love with you." and I said "I'm in love with you too." "I'm going to marry you," he told me – "Yes. That sounds perfect," I told him.' 

In 2022, they moved into their dream home in the countryside of southern Mississippi after nine months of renovations.

The couple purchased the 1930 Tudor-style home that spans 4,000 square feet in July of 2021.