Our Story
The origin story of the Scotsman Co begins like any other story - a guy with a hobby.
Ben Napier, the Scotsman himself, learned the art of woodworking as a young man in college. At first it started out as simple projects here and there while he served as a student minister in the local church.
Sensing that woodworking was more than just a hobby, Ben set up his first woodshop with Josh in a basement in downtown Laurel.
Here’s where the story takes a turn.
While Ben was perfecting his craft, some once-in-a-lifetime opportunities started to unfold. Just hours after he handed in his letter of resignation to the church, he and Erin received the first email asking if they had ever considered doing a television show.
Extra backstory - Back in the early 2010s, while Ben was a full-time minister and part-time woodworker, Erin had her own business designing wedding invitations. She also chronicled their home renovation on her personal blog. Because of Erin’s diligence, creativity, and storytelling, the Napiers found themselves at the precipice of something life changing. They had no idea that what started as a leap of faith would unfold into something extraordinary!
After Ben, Erin, and the HGTV team filmed the pilot, they weren’t getting their hopes up that they would actually get their own series or if the pilot would even air on television at all. During the waiting, Ben started making small woodworking pieces and furniture, continuing to perfect his craft. After a year of waiting (and radio silence), they learned that the pilot would air on HGTV in January of 2016.
Now that Home Town was greenlit for season 1, Ben put his woodworking skills on display by making thoughtful, custom pieces of furniture for each home restoration project. And the world took note of his craftsmanship.
Fast forward to the Fall of 2016, Ben, Erin, and their 4 best friends made a commitment to revitalize their hometown of Laurel, MS. With the release and following success of the show, there was a spark of hope that downtown Laurel would be revived. The possibilities of bustling sidewalks, renovated storefronts, and a new life for our hometown became a reality. It was nothing short of a miracle.
With the opening of the Laurel Mercantile in the fall of 2016, Ben started making butcher blocks to sell in the shop. The founding crew quickly realized that people appreciated American Made products and were willing to give their hard earned money to products made by fellow Americans.
Suddenly, the vision grew from a small woodshop in a basement into a complete manufacturing company, making the finest, highest quality cutting boards and butcher blocks in America.
Our American-made mission resonates with the hearts of hundreds of thousands of people across the country, and that's how we knew that we had to create something new. While manufacturing is machine-led, it's the skilled hands and minds of the team that engineer the process to perfection.
These wood products we create at Scotsman Manufacturing are made to last a lifetime. Every product is hand-developed and doused in pure craftsmanship and preciseness. 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. Like all of the daring entrepreneurs who have come from our small town, we hope that the Scotsman Manufacturing team will leave its mark on Laurel for good and provide life to a community for generations to come.
Family of Brands
Found out more about our family of American made brands including Laurel Mercantile Co. & the Scent Library.