The Boldens
There’s nothing quite like moving back to your home after college. Your newfound experiences and college friends have helped shape and mold a new way of life within four years, and then –– change. For Jean and Charles Bolden, the idea of moving back to Jean’s home town of Laurel was not part of the original plan. For many young couples, the allure of large cities is tempting, as it was for the Boldens. But the chance to gain their footing during the first years of their marriage was found in the shade of 6th Avenue's oak trees and the comforts of home.
Jean says, “I feel like a lot of people encouraged us to move away, but I came back. I landed my dream job at the Lauren Rogers Museum. I started to feel like I could make this more than my parents’ home…
this place could be my home for a long, long time.”
Charles is from a small town south of Laurel and understands the dynamics of a close-knit community but he was pleasantly surprised to find an open and progressive people, who offer newcomers a fair chance to share their talents and skills. He says,
“I had no expectations of Laurel. I hoped to get a job, start a family, but it ended up being so much more. I was hired by Masonite, whom does so much for our city. I got lucky and met so many people that showed me what hospitality really means.”
Jean and Charles both have an art background and strive to incorporate their passion for creativity in every aspect of their life and home. They are a part of the tight community of local artists. Including their college friends, Adam and Lily Trest, who were homeowners in season two of HGTV Home Town and own Adam Trest Home in Downtown Laurel.
Jeans says,
“I feel like the community has really embraced us. We love the way Laurel is going – supportive of creatives and young people. They want to see us succeed.”
For some, leaving the nest can be hard, especially when it’s so comfortable. But for Jean and Charles Bolden, creating their forever nest in Laurel, Mississippi was the easiest transition thanks to the neighbors and their new home curated by the Home Town team.
“If you were to walk into our home today, every item has a sense of history to it. Every room has someone else’s art. There’s so much positive and open energy; it inspires us to make our own art.”
The Bolden Family is excited to grow with the wave of artists that are growing here. They plan on investing their own passions into downtown Laurel eventually and we’re ready to cheer them on the entire way.