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By Michaela Gordoni
A few days before HGTV star Erin Napier’s birthday last year, the hotel she had just finished renovating for her friends burned down.
It was a not-so-happy birthday.
“Mallorie had volunteered to host my 40th birthday party, and I was like, ‘We are not having the party this weekend. That is not happening,'” Napier said of one of the hotel owners. “And Mallorie said, ‘I need to be with all my people.'”
So, they threw a party, but it the emotional weight of the fire was still heavily present, USA Today reported.
“So, we had the party, and it was the saddest party in the world,” Napier continued. “All I wanted for my birthday was to eat dip. So, we ate dip and cried.”
But in the midst of the disaster, the owners were blessed to be around their community.
Related: ‘So Thankful For You’: Erin Napier Celebrates Husband Ben’s Birthday
“The locals understood how hard we had been working, but the public had not,” co-owner Josh said. “They don’t really know until these episodes have aired how hard we were all working to make this happen. And so, that was pretty special to have friends and just to be around each other.”
The series that shows the renovation before the fire, HOME TOWN: INN THIS TOGETHER, still aired last month. The Napiers and the hotel owners got to show the complete restoration of the building ahead of the fire and the hotel’s opening day in the series, TV Insider reported.
Currently, the owners are waiting to hear back from Liberty Mutual to get their insurance claim. From there, they plan to rebuild.
“What this has given us is an opportunity to kind of dream about what’s next. We have a vision and we have goals for our community, for ourselves, for our state – and we continue to want to make it better. So, I think some really cool things are down the pike,” said Napier’s cousin and hotel co-owner, Jim.
After INN THIS TOGETHER’s finale aired on May 31, Napier’s husband Ben wrote, “Last night’s episode was bittersweet. Our friends worked so unbelievably hard, and we have never been more proud to be their friends. The fire shocked everyone”
“It has felt like a death of a loved one in the community. It has been nearly a year since the fire, and our friends are STILL waiting on @libertymutual to complete the claim. We don’t know what the future holds, but we know God holds us. Thanks for watching the biggest thing to happen in downtown Laurel in a long time.”
Hopefully Liberty Mutual does the right thing soon so that the owners — and the Napiers — can rebuild.
Read Next: Will Anyone Ever Visit the Napiers’ Hotel from INN THIS TOGETHER?
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