TikTok creator Katelyn Ansari found love in the aisles of a Texas, USA, Home Depot, where she used a playful excuse about hanging a nonexistent picture frame to spark a conversation with a stranger. Her video of the encounter, which has gone viral with nearly 6 million views, captured Katelyn’s quest to meet someone "organically" after disappointing experiences on dating apps.
Taking to her TikTok page on October 23, Katelyn shared how she found love in a hopeless place – Home Depot, a home improvement retailer that sells building materials, tools, paint, and wood for do-it-yourself projects.
In the video, Katelyn filmed herself approaching a “cute” and “handsome” man, asking for his advice on how to hang a large picture frame that didn’t actually exist.
She could be heard asking the handyman: “Can you help me find the things that I need?” The man in question was subsequently filmed leading Katelyn down an aisle, then handing her a hook and some wire.
TikTok creator Katelyn Ansari found love in the aisles of a Texas, USA, Home Depot
Image credits: katelynnansari
Image credits: katelynnansari
The video, which she titled “Got off the dating apps to find me a blue-collar man at Home Depot,” sparked amusement as a TikTok user commented: “I wish women would do this more often.”
A person wrote: “Girl I just called a local plumber and doing my homework I found out one was single 1 year later and we are planning a wedding.”
Someone else penned: “Sis!! I'm living for this!!!! Now ask him to come over and hang it for you!!!”
She used a playful excuse about hanging a nonexistent picture frame to spark a conversation with a stranger
Image credits: katelynnansari
“If this worked for you, where do I find a gf lol,” a netizen asked.
A commentator shared: “I mean truly this is genius because if they don’t give you the right items then you know right away.”
Her video of the encounter, which has gone viral with nearly 6 million views, captured Katelyn’s quest to meet someone "organically"
Image credits: katelynnansari
Katelyn's cheeky trick seemingly worked, as in follow-up videos on TikTok, she shared that they had exchanged phone numbers, started texting, and had even gone on dates.
“I truly didn't think it would work,” Katelyn told People on Wednesday (November 6). “I've been single for about two years and casually dated here and there, but legitimately every man I met on Bumble or Hinge was a no-go.”
Following a lack of luck with previous romantic endeavors, Katelyn felt pushed to hunt for an “old-fashioned organic type of love,” leading her to take the advice of other women online.
Katelyn was previously disappointed with dating apps.
Image credits: katelynnansari
Katelyn is now officially in a relationship with the Home Depot guy, whose real name is Tryce Easter, as she revealed: “I had tucked these videos away in my drafts because I'm a pretty private person these days and I wanted to make sure he was the man he claimed to be before I publicly shared our story.”
She added: “I actually told myself ‘If he doesn’t bring me flowers [on the first date], he’s not it,’ because it’s a lost token of love to bring flowers on a date.
“Sure enough, he showed up with a cowboy hat, nice jeans, a button-up, and flowers.”
Taking to her TikTok page on October 23, Katelyn shared how she found love in a hopeless place – Home Depot
Image credits: katelynnansari
“It felt like a modern-day fairytale. He’s made me start believing in love and romance again.”
Finding love at Home Depot is more common than one might think. A man shared on Reddit: “I am a widower. My wife died of cancer a couple of years back.
“I came into Home Depot looking for new ear cups (hearing protectors) and a couple of other things.”
Katelyn's cheeky trick seemingly worked
Image credits: katelynnansari
“Hoping to get some directions I was looking for an associate. I saw three in the fastener aisle.
“They were trying to help a woman who was looking for a particular screw. It wasn't going well.
“I offered to help the woman find the correct screw if they could find the things on my list. The list was grabbed from my hand and the three disappeared.”
“I helped the woman find what she was looking for. I was covered in wood chips and dust and smelled of sweat.
“She was disheveled and smelled of horses. We got to talking. Her husband had died of cancer several years earlier.
“We talked for two and a half hours. (this was during COVID). We have been married more than a year now. You never know what you will find in the ‘screw aisle’ at Home Depot.”
"This is what we did when we had no phones or computers," a reader commented
