Chip Gaines of ‘Fixer Upper’ says he’d live in Kansas City, plus readers’ burning questions
Is it our stellar barbecue? Is it the high volume of resale, antique and flea markets? Or is it the nice people who live here, many of whom turned out to see Chip and JoAnna Gaines, stars of HGTV’s “Fixer Upper” at last year’s Greater Kansas City Home Show?
There’s no telling exactly why, but loveable goofball Chip Gaines told PopSugar.com recently he fell in love with our fair city and he’d live here if he wasn’t in Texas. Alas, he didn’t expound on this statement.
The Gaineses will be in town again this weekend, when they speak twice on the main stage at the Home Show at Bartle Hall, 3 p.m. Saturday and noon Sunday.
Kansas City will, undoubtedly, return Chip’s love. This town has die-hard “Fixer Upper” fans. Last year, the couple appeared before sold-out crowds at the Home Show, and this year, tickets to their VIP Show at noon on Saturday sold out in minutes.
House + Home reader Charlotte Holt said she arrived at last year’s show 1 hour and 15 minutes early to find all the seats taken and crowds overflowing 4 to 6 people deep into the nearby exhibit spaces. She couldn’t get close enough to see anything so she waited for the 3 p.m. show and still had to stand.
The Waco, Texas, couple, known for popularizing the use of shiplap and Chip’s wackiness, has been remodeling and flipping homes for 13 years. Their brand has become so successful that it’s expanded to include a real estate company, construction company, design firm, nationally distributed furnishings line and boutique.
And just today, the pair announced on Instagram that they’re taking pre-orders for their upcoming book "The Magnolia Story" to be released in October.
We’ll be at the show to talk to them in case you can’t, so send your questions to cgregorian@kcstar.com. Several readers have already submitted questions. Here are some examples:
▪ Holt wants to know how many episodes the couple films each season. She’s tired of watching the reruns over and over again.
“I would recognize the homeowners if I met them at the grocery store,” she says. “I’d know their name and could describe the interior of their home. Enough already!!”
▪ Bill Galey asks how clients are chosen, and if they keep all the furnishings and accessories that Joanna uses to stage the houses.
“Love their show and the playful way they interact with each other,” he added. “Seems like a very strong and healthy marriage.”
▪ Mark Davidson feels a connection to the couple. He grew up in Waco, graduated from Waco High School in 1975 and is a general contractor in the Kansas City area. Like Joanna, he’s a Baylor University fan. He’d like to know what the Gaineses will do to prevent damage from when lightning strikes the metal silos that house their Magnolia Market boutique.
“Does Chip figure if the first one gets struck, they do not have to worry about the second one since lightning does not strike twice in same place?” he asks, jokingly. “PS: Could I paint just one wall in one of their projects at no charge as a bucket list project?”
▪ And finally, I’ll get to the bottom of why Chip loves Kansas City during pre-show press interviews.
This story was originally published March 14, 2016 at 6:10 PM with the headline "Chip Gaines of ‘Fixer Upper’ says he’d live in Kansas City, plus readers’ burning questions."