Woman Goes Viral After Chance Encounter with Boyfriend at Home Depot

Can Home Depot be the solution to dating app burnout?

A popular trend on TikTok showcases women navigating the aisles of the home improvement store, often captioned, “When dating apps don’t pan out, so it’s time to look bewildered in a Home Depot.” (Or, sometimes, Lowe’s.)

For one individual, the quest for a real-life connection paid off.

Katelyn Ansari, a single mother of two who recently relocated to Texas from California, was feeling drained by the world of online dating when she opted to shift her approach.

“I was just really having no success,” she shared with TODAY.com, noting that people “were not at all like their online personas.”

So, Ansari decided to step away from the apps and engage with the outside world. She first visited Scheels, a well-known sporting goods retailer in Texas. “I went into the hunting section, but had no luck. I struck out,” she recalls.

Following the advice of “the girlies on TikTok,” Ansari kept her spirits up and headed to Home Depot with a clear purpose in mind.

While most TikToks feature women wandering through Home Depot, Ansari took it a step further and introduced herself to another shopper. She asked the man, Tryce Easter, for assistance in finding items to hang a picture frame.

“I could have asked a store employee and received the same information, but he was tall and handsome,” she laughs. “I thought, ‘I’m going to take my chance.’ So I did, and completely blanked out from nerves,” she reflects.

Her viral clip of the encounter has garnered over 6 million views on TikTok. “POV you took the girls’ advice and went looking for a blue-collar guy at Home Depot because dating apps are a bust,” she wrote.

In between the clips from their interaction, Ansari mentioned that she and Easter engaged in some anxious small talk.

“I think he realized, ‘Oh, I want to ask her for her number.’ So, he turned around and did just that,” she recalls.

Easter later reached out to invite Ansari on a formal date. She describes his approach as “thoughtful,” which, coincidentally, was the “word of the year” she had chosen before they met.

“On our first date, he arrived with flowers. In the dating scene, it often feels like, Do you want to hang out? Are you free this day? No flowers, no sweetness,” she comments.

The two quickly discovered more about each other. “He’s from East Texas, raised there, and he’s a fireman,” Ansari reveals.

To their surprise, Ansari and Easter found that they have many shared interests (such as two-stepping) and often frequent similar social circles, albeit on different schedules. “He works non-traditional hours, and I have two boys, so I’m not always in the social scene,” she explains.

Several months later, the couple is still together and shares glimpses of their lives on social media, including their date nights and relationship tips.

Ansari decided to post her now-viral video — which was previously sitting in her TikTok drafts — only after they made their relationship official.

“He didn’t know I had recorded these videos. When I posted the first one, I just went about my day. Suddenly, I realized it was going viral,” she says.

According to Ansari, their relationship is distinctive because it feels like they are evolving together. “I’m taking my time, expressing my needs, and he’s receptive. He’s like, I want you to flourish. I want you to achieve everything you desire in life,” she explains. “It feels wonderful to be valued by someone.”

She hopes her journey inspires other women to step outside their comfort zones in dating.

“This is my motivation — knowing that women may feel hope that there are still good men out there. I take pride in being that source of inspiration,” she expresses.