Heavy/Getty Dave and Jenny Marrs.
Dave and Jenny Marrs are an HGTV power couple, renovating homes in Bentonville, Arkansas. But, as People reported, when the contractor and “self-taught decorator” moved there in 2004, they had just quit their corporate city jobs to become house flippers.
At the time, according to the outlet, the “Fixer to Fabulous” hosts rented a house and drove a truck they found on eBay. As Dave explained to People, “We couldn’t afford anything else. We quit our jobs. We had nothing.”
While Jenny eventually was able to work on renovations full-time, she held an office job for 10 years to make ends meet.
Jokingly referred to as Dave’s “sugar mama,” Jenny explained to People, “Basically I kept a real job so that we had insurance and someone had to sign loans for the houses while we were building.”
The couple faced a lot of upheaval at that time, living in the houses they were flipping and moving when they were sold.
“It was just always hopeful. There wasn’t this extreme pressure to support a family. It was like, ‘Yeah, we’ll figure it out. It’s just us,’” Jenny told People. “I think we have always had an approach to life of just being open-handed with everything. Whatever God has for us, that’s what’s going to be. Sometimes it’s scary, but we have faith.”
The couple, who recently celebrated 18 years of marriage, live on a farm with their five children these days. They share twins Nathan and Ben, 12, Sylvie, 11, Charlotte, 8, and Luke, 3.
But, looking back on the early days of their marriage and business, Jenny added, “We were so broke but we had the most fun.”
Dave & Jenny Marrs Prayed About Every Big Decision
HGTV contacted the couple in 2016, but they explained to People that they originally turned down the network. Another producer reached out a couple of months later and they agreed to film a sizzle reel, which eventually led to “Fixer to Fabulous,” they told People.
“It was all just a whirlwind,” Jenny told the outlet. “Every time we have a big decision, we pray about it. And if we feel peace about it, then we move forward.”
The series is a hit, with HGTV reporting its third season garnered more than 31 million viewers.
Jenny told People, “The show is a perfect example. We would never have done it had we not felt like God could use it, and he was leading us here.”
Dave and Jenny have continued to build their brand, partnering with Walmart on a decor line, opening a Marrs Mercantile storefront and renovating a bed and breakfast on “Fixer to Fabulous: Welcome Inn.” They also starred in the spinoff special “Fixer to Fabulous Holiday Surprise” and competed on season 3 of “Rock the Block.”
They Are Partnering With Ben & Erin Napier on ‘Home Town Takeover’ Season 2
The couple is gearing up for their biggest project yet, teaming up with Ben and Erin Napier to give Fort Morgan, Colorado, a “full-town renovation,” HGTV announced in a press release. “Home Town Takeover” season 2 premieres on Sunday, April 23, 2023, at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific times.
The series follows the two couples as “they mobilize 10 all-star HGTV and Food Network talent to help complete 18 renovation projects across homes, local businesses and public spaces,” according to the series description. “The goal for the renovations, which range from refreshing a local bowling alley and revitalizing a public park to sprucing up the downtown business district and updating homes of local heroes, will be to amplify the town’s charm, build community pride and catapult Fort Morgan into a new era of limitless potential.”
As Ben explained on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” in March, Dave and Jenny will tackle “residential” projects while they focus on “public spaces and community projects.”
“We kept using the term ripple effect when we were in Fort Morgan and it really was,” Jenny said on “Today with Hoda & Jenna” on April 17, explaining that they “couldn’t do it all” in their limited time frame. Jenny added, “We have kids, work, but we started something and the town just took it. And they went, and they kept going. And that was what was amazing.”
READ NEXT: Ben & Erin Napier Reveal How ‘Home Town’ Really Started