How TV show Fixer Upper spawned a multimillion-dollar empire
Anna Tobin
27 February 2018
How Chip and Joanna Gaines gained
Husband-and-wife team Chip and Joanna Gaines are the stars of hit US TV show Fixer Upper. Now in its fifth and final season, the cult show follows the couple as they renovate run down homes in their native Waco, Texas. But where did they meet and how did they go on to turn Chip's passion for construction and Joanna's talent for design into a multi-million dollar business empire?
Chip: Texas bred not born
Chip was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1974, but he moved with his family to Colleyville, a city just outside of Dallas, Texas when he was in third grade. A passionate baseball player, Chip played second base and third base through his junior and senior years. He was taught the values of hard work early on too. He started mowing lawns in fifth grade for pocket money and helped out at his family's flooring store in Lewisville.
Joanna: born in Kansas, grew up in Austin
Joanna Stevens was born in Kansas in 1978 to a Korean mother and half-German, half-Lebanese father. She went to elementary school there and then moved with her family to Austin, Texas and then on to Waco in her junior year of high school. She graduated from Waco Christian School and began thinking about a career in the media. She was considering a career in broadcast journalism and is said to have even interned for Dan Rather at CBS News in New York City.
They both study at Baylor
Both Chip and Joanna attended Baylor University in Waco, but as Chip is four years older their paths never crossed. Chip started out at Northlake College in Irving where he played for the college baseball team. He transferred to Baylor to major in business after a year, but he was disappointed when he didn't make the baseball team at Baylor and he had to find other outlets for his energy. Joanna studied Communications.
Chip is a college entrepreneur
Chip took out his first business loan when he was still at college. He borrowed $5,000 from a local bank and launched a lawn-mowing company. At once he realised the value of borrowing money to make money. He also recognised that for this method to be successful he always had to make the repayment dates. Chip's lawn-mowing business soon grew into a fully fledged landscaping company and he began saving for his future.
Chip cleans up
Alongside the landscaping business, Chip also launched a wash and fold laundry business with friends and within a couple of years he'd saved up enough money to buy and renovate his first house. Once it was done up he is said to have sold it for a profit of around $30,000 (£21,460). He realised that his other businesses paled in comparison to what he could make in property and he switched to renovating properties for a living.
They met over tyres
Like Chip, Joanna was also from a family with a strong work ethic. Joanna worked her way through high school and college by helping out at her father's tyre store. She also made her first TV debut while working there in commercials for the company. There was a photo of Joanna behind the counter and when Chip visited the store for his auto needs he spotted the photo and felt an instant attraction to her. He then made any excuse to visit the store until they eventually met.
Chip soon popped the question
The first date turned into a second date and they quickly became an item. Chip proposed within months. He is said to have told Joanna that they were going to a concert, but instead he took her to a jewellery store. He bent down on one knee and asked for her hand in marriage. When she said yes they went inside the store and Joanna was invited to design her dream ring. She chose a round diamond placed in an antique-style platinum setting.
Marriage
Just over a year after their first meeting, Chip and Joanna were married in the beautiful surroundings of the Earle-Harrison House and Pape Gardens, a historic Greek revival-style home in Waco. They honeymooned in New York staying at the now demolished Drake Hotel.
Their first project
Their first marital home was the first home they fixed up together. The tiny 800 square foot property was really run down and it even smelt bad. The couple, who were strapped for cash at the time, lovingly transformed it by being very creative with the resources they had. This first house taught Chip and Joanna how to make the most of every little thing they had available to them, values that they still follow to this day.
Magnolia Market is born
Soon after they married in 2003, Chip and Joanna bought their first store in Waco. This became the first Magnolia Market. Joanna had always dreamt of running a homes store and this gave her a chance to develop her design skills and learn everything there is to know about running your own business. Chip, meanwhile, concentrated on their property development company.
Making time for babies
After the couple had their first two children, Drake and Ella, they decided to close down Magnolia Market to concentrate on raising and growing their family. At this point Joanna also became more involved in their construction business Magnolia Homes. Their motto became 'Making Waco beautiful one home at a time.' In between flipping, remodelling and fixing up homes they had two more children: Duke and Emmie Kay. Joanna is currently pregnant with their fifth child.
Blog leads to big break
While Chip stuck to the construction side of the business, Joanna focused on the design aspects of the home renovations. This led to her starting a blog about home design and interior crafts called At Home. This blog is said to be what first caught the attention of a TV production company and they were approached about doing a TV show on home renovations. They saw this as a great opportunity to expand their business, but they stipulated that the focus must be on Waco homeowners.
Fixer Upper launches on HGTV
A pilot of Fixer Upper first aired on US channel HGTV in 2013. On the back of its success a full series was commissioned. Each episode follows the couple as they transform a homeowner's run down property into a stunning home and it ends with Chip and Joanna removing a huge image of the home's former exterior to reveal its incredible transformation. The show became a huge hit and the Gaines quickly became household names.
Magnolia Market reopens
As the ratings soared and the couple's popularity grew the Magnolia brand expanded as well. Chip and Joanna reopened their Magnolia Market store in Waco in May 2014. It outgrew the original store, however, and they soon moved it to its new Magnolia Silos location in downtown Waco. As well as a store, Magnolia Market now includes a games lawn, a bakery and various food trucks. It also has an impressive online presence.
The Magnolia brand becomes an empire
While working on the TV show and building Magnolia Market, Chip and Joanna have continued to invest in property. They also own Magnolia Realty, a full-service real estate company that covers Waco, Austin, Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth and Temple-Belton. There is also a Magnolia Home line, which includes a range of furniture and accessories designed by Joanna that is sold through various retailers; an exclusive home line for Target called Hearth & Hand; and wallpaper and paint lines too.
Moving into publishing
In 2016 Chip and Joanna launched the Magnolia Journal, a quarterly lifestyle publication that promises "fresh inspiration for your life and home in each new season." Produced by Meredith Corporation, its initial success has seen its circulation rise to 1.2 million for its spring 2018 issue. Meredith Magazine president Doug Olso said: "The Magnolia Journal has been one of the most successful launches in the history of the magazine industry."
They employ over 400 people
The Gaines are now thought to employ over 400 people working in their real estate business, their store and on their various product lines. This is said to be double the number of people they employed a year ago. At any one time they also have various sub-contractors working on their projects too. Most of these people are based in and around Waco, which has significantly boosted the local economy.
The show has also made Waco famous
With most of Fixer Upper's properties being located in and around Waco, the show has hugely increased the Texan city's profile. It has highlighted Waco's beauty and it has shown it as a place where you can find well priced properties ready to be fixed up. It has also increased the tourist footfall into Waco and drawn out of towners to Magnolia Market and other local homes and interior stores. Everyone is benefiting from what has become known as the Magnolia effect.
Vacation in a Magnolia property
Recognising that Waco is now on the tourist map, Chip and Joanna have also now made it possible to stay in a Magnolia home by launching Magnolia vacation rental properties. Holidaymakers can book to stay in a Magnolia fixer upper located in and around Waco. And, they are now expanding their hospitality business further. Having bought the historic Elite Café in Waco in 2016 they have reopened it as the Magnolia Table restaurant.
The Gaines net worth
Chip and Joanna Gaines are now said to be worth $8 million (£5.6 million) each. They are said to earn $30,000 (£21,304) for each episode of Fixer Upper, plus an additional undisclosed fee from HGTV. Other income comes from their Magnolia businesses and lucrative book deals. Their book The Magnolia Story is a best seller. Chip published his business book Capital Gaines last year, which became a New York Times best seller; and Joanna is working on a design book.
Fixer Upper comes to an end but the future's bright
In September 2017, Chip and Joanna announced that the current and fifth season of Fixer Upper would be their last. They wrote on the Magnolia Market site: "This has been an amazing adventure! We have poured our blood, sweat and tears into this show. We would be foolish to think we can go and go and fire on all cylinders and never stop to pause." Rumour has it that they are in discussions about other TV shows, however. What ever the case, they're not expected to retire just yet.
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