Our Story

Thank You

Choosing to support Laurel Mercantile Co, Scotsman Co and the Scent Library means you're supporting American manufacturing and the towns across the country that depend on it. We hope that you love each thoughtfully curated item. Come see us in Laurel soon.

Your neighbors
no matter how far,

Erin & Ben Napier

OUR STORY

In 1901, the Laurel Mercantile Co. opened in downtown Laurel and was a bastion of commerce in our city, supplying dry goods and work wares until the 1930s. As industry changed, so did the needs and eventually the doors closed. Many decades have passed and “The City Beautiful” is seeing a revival as a haven for entrepreneurs, artists, and makers.

In 2016 a partnership was formed between the Napiers, Nowells and Rasberrys, 3 couples made up of family and long-time best friends. They used their combined expertise in history, design, historic preservation, organizational management, finance and accounting to reopen Laurel’s bygone hometown store. The doors of the new Laurel Mercantile Co. opened on Front Street in December 2016, not long after HGTV's Home Town began filming Season 2.

In 2018, the group expanded with a second retail location in Laurel with the addition of the Scotsman General Store & Ben's Woodshop. Inspired by general stores of yesteryear, the Scotsman General is sure to remind you of a place from your own hometown. With hundreds of glass bottled sodas to choose from, unique candies, and snacks, you'll definitely want to sit and stay a spell.

Laurel's history is filled with self-made entrepreneurs and industry leaders who dared to dream wildly. In 2021 we created Scotsman Manufacturing Co., a plant that employs American makers and makes high-quality butcher blocks and countertops in Laurel, Mississippi. The quality standard is high because the responsibility of providing good-paying jobs is even higher. The Scotsman Manufacturing team takes their jobs seriously because the future of our community depends on it. 

In 2022 we opened the Scent Library. This store was a dream of Erin's that highlighted her passion for different smells. Specifically those scent memories from her life. Each scent represents specific moments in time from her life that tells a story. The Scent Library is dedicated to sharing those stories with the world and providing a place for our guest to make their own scent memories.

Thank you for supporting our "framily's" dream. We appreciate this incredible opportunity we've been given and hope that our story, Laurel's story, brings inspiration and pride to folks and small towns all across the USA. If you get the chance to come visit us in person, we'd sure love to have you and please don't hesitate to reach out to our amazing team if you have any questions.

Erin & Ben Napier, Emily & Josh Nowell, Mallorie & Jim Rasberry

THE MERCANTILE FAMILY

BEN & ERIN NAPIER

We’re a couple whom our friends and neighbors might assert are attached at the hip based on how often they’ve seen us apart from one another. Erin is an artist with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in graphic design, Ben is a woodworker with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history, both graduates from the University of Mississippi. Together, we’re doing what we can to revitalize our town by restoring historic homes on HGTV’s Home Town. We’re in love with the quiet life in our very small Mississippi town, collectors of old cars and keepers of an old house and an old building, both in the heart of downtown Laurel. Historic design for paper, furniture and homes are our bread and butter and if we live to see our hometown fully revitalized someday, that will be enough.

JIM & MALLORIE RASBERRY

Have you ever heard, “They were in the right place at the right time?” Well, that's exactly how we found each other—meeting by chance at Erin's (Jim's first cousin and Mallorie's college roommate and best friend) senior art thesis at Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississppi. While we have had success in our careers (Mallorie as a CPA, Jim as a financial advisor, with his own firm, Rasberry Financial) we have always been passionate about revitalization. There is nothing like bringing something back to life. It's satisfying to create value in something that has been worn, loved, then forgotten. We’re excited and proud for our little city and, much like the two kids in Oxford that night, we hope that we are in the right place at the right time to make a big difference.

JOSH & EMILY NOWELL

A blind date brought us together after graduating from Ole Miss (Josh) and the University of Southern Miss (Emily). We spent the early years of our marriage on the road as traveling landmen and the founders of Petrolia Land Co., until Emily found out she was expecting. While this lifestyle was certainly fun, it did not seem very practical to bring a baby home to a hotel room. So, we came back to Mississippi to put down roots, investing in historic real estate development in Josh's hometown, Laurel, while restoring a historic house for our growing family to call home. These days, you’ll find our fingerprint on several of the revitalized historic businesses in downtown Laurel, each of them breathing new life into our central business district.

STILL HAVE QUESTIONS?

Drop us a line and we will be glad to answer any questions we can.