‘Good Bones’ Star Karen Laine Reveals Behind-the-Scenes Look at Her New ‘Corner’

Beloved matriarch and star of Good Bones, Karen Laine is keeping fans and followers updated on her latest project: “Karen’s Corner” over at Instagram. The acclaimed designer purchased a new space in Indianapolis, Indiana this past fall as a “combination storage, workshop, and retail” location for her home improvement projects. Fans are still marveling at Laine’s work capacity, even through retirement.

Laine is best-known to fans for co-starring on HGTV’s Good Bones with her daughter, Mina Starsiak Hawk. The two restore old homes in the Indianapolis area, often stripping them down to “the bones” and building something new practically from scratch. The two are icons in the DIY home improvement world, especially since Laine left behind a career as an attorney to start their business, Two Chicks & a Hammer, Inc. While Laine continues to appear on Good Bones from time to time, she officially retired from the business in 2019.

Still, Laine is not resting on her laurels in retirement. She has so many projects that she needs a separate space in which to pursue them. Her plans for “Karen’s Corner” or “The Corner” appear to be small, but she can’t stop fans from getting excited. Here is a look at the updates she has posted so far.

Purchase

On Oct. 1, Laine announced that she and her husband, Roger had purchased a building in the South Village section of Indianapolis known as “Monuments by Wearly.” The old business had been open since 1899, so it is a perfect fit for Laine’s rustic, reclaimed aesthetic.

Paint

A few days later, Laine showed her followers the first progress report as she gave the inside of the building a bit of a makeover. That included stripping the carpeting, painting the walls and redoing the lights.

Floors

Just over a week later, Laine was back with another astonishing update. Here, she showed the new floors, which were nearly finished being installed, and the spruced-up bathroom. This was her longest explanation to fans as well, as she explained that “The Corner” would not include an online store, or any other major expansion of her work so far. “No employees (just me), combination storage, workshop and retail,” she explained. “Current plan is hours posted on social media.”

A racoon mural

Plumbin’ probs…

Custom tiles with Roger

Two Chicks District Co.

While The Corner is Laine’s first foray into brick-and-mortar retail, it’s another case for daughters, Starsiak Hawk and Kelsy Gray. Back in July, the two sisters opened Two Chicks District Co., a shop for their unique reclaimed household items in the Bates-Hendricks neighborhood of Indianapolis. The building was previously used as a warehouse for their construction business but is now becoming the hub of their interactions with fans.

Hangout

The shop is not just meant to be stop-and-go stores, either. Nor is it just a way to capitalize on the family’s HGTV success. Starsiak told The Indy Star: “It’s not just a store that’s a destination because of the show, but actually a stronghold in the community.”

Inventory

While The Corner is under construction, Two Chicks District Co. is already up and running, with about 1,800 square feet full of inventory. That includes everything from $6 vases to $4,000 couches and everything in between. Many things are branded with either Two Chicks and a Hammer or Good Bones signifiers, and customers are encouraged to browse the unique selection.

“Anyone coming in can leave with something and not feel like, ‘oh, that’s too much for me,” Starsiak said. “There are some things in here, I think, ‘eh, I probably wouldn’t put that in my house.’ But it’s the style of the company. We do everything with a little bit of a Two Chicks twist.”

Season 6

With all these developments in Laine and Starsiak’s lives, Good Bones will have quite a bit of catching up to do in the upcoming Season 6, coming 2021. Season 5 ended with episodes about Laine’s retirement from the company, and Starsiak’s struggle to conceive a second child, which resulted in another pregnancy and birth of her second child, daughter Charlie. When fans see them next, they may be surprised to see how busy the two stars have been.