A "Home Town" Pit Stop: Laurel, MS

   On my drive home from New Orleans, I passed by the charming southern town of Laurel, Mississippi.
   While Laurel prides itself on being America's Home Town, it's also the set location of HGTV's Home Town, where crafty couple Ben and Erin Napier show viewers how to transform a historic, small-town house into their dream home using local architects, builders and craftsmen. In this husband and wife duo, Ben is the woodworker and Erin is the artist.

   The downtown itself was so quaint and picturesque, lined with antique stores, coffee shops and local businesses. There were no chain restaurants or stores to be found, and that was a nice treat to know that local talent was given the opportunity to shine. The walls and facades of the downtown revealed a town with years of history that had been revitalized with a fresh coat of paint and massive wall art scattered throughout.

   After doing a little online research and some suggestions from my HGTV-loving mother, I decided to check out two of the local businesses that are connected with the Home Town production.

   Laurel Mercantile Co., appearing regularly in the show's filming, provided a variety of local-made tools, kitchenware and utensils and a small section of apparel with t-shirts, flannels and hats. The store promoted "American-made" items and fan gear for those who watch the show. If you arrived expecting to find furniture for home decorating, you'll be sadly disappointed; the focus of this store was to let the locals shine.

   Scotsman Co. General Store offered a mixture of vintage candies, glass bottle sodas, boiled peanuts, fanfare apparel and local-made jellies, salsas and syrup. At the back of the general store were several large glass windows that offered visitors an insider's view of Ben's woodworking shop.

   I picked out a few of the local treasures to take home, and I also bought a cup of boiled peanuts to try for the first time. The general store was a unique experience, but I think that'll be the first and last time I eat boiled peanuts.