Downtown Siloam Springs experiencing growth spurt
Heather Hill Clothing started in Heather Lanker’s garage about 10 years ago, when Lanker started selling handmade girls’ clothes. This year, after eight years on Broadway Street, Heather Hill moved the shop to the old Dave’s Appliances building.
“I needed more space, so I asked Dave (Barnett) if he would sell this, not knowing exactly how big it was,” Lanker said, gesturing at the substantial building that used to serve as a Chevrolet dealership.
Now Lanker’s Heather Hill has filled up one of the three storefronts and Lanker is in talks to populate the other two. The multi-purpose building will also include an event center and, one day, a living space for the Lanker family.
The downtown area of Siloam Springs is nearly unrecognizable from 10 years ago, and Lanker isn’t alone in the flurry of businesses moving or opening recently.
One other project is the new “Five Points” building on East Main Street that houses Pour Jon’s and is the future site of a possible nano-brewery.
Chris Moore, owner of Pour Jon’s, said the response he has gotten so far to the new location has been overwhelmingly positive. Since moving, the coffee shop has seen an uptick in John Brown University students coming by to buy coffee, hang out and study.
Moore said he was very excited about the new building and its location, which he said bridged the gap between downtown and East Main Street.
Another new project, under
development just across the street from Moore’s old location, is Ziggywurst, a German-themed restaurant.
Tom Cannady, who owns the venture with his family, has had a history of serving food to Siloam Springs, having owned Razorback Pizza back when it was in the building that now houses La Huerta.
Cannady has seen firsthand the progress Siloam Springs’ downtown area has made, as the density of buildings in his area required the city to find a creative solution to grease disposal that would not have been an issue in a less active area.
“Maybe there’s something in the air in that sense, in that people feel really enthusiastic about not only starting their business, but really settling and investing and making sure their space is contributing to the feel of downtown,” said Kelsey Howard, executive director of Main Street Siloam Springs.
The recent spurt of activity has included the relocation of downtown mainstays Pour Jon’s and Heather Hill, the opening of a building for Blogs For Brands and the pending openings of Pure Joy Ice Cream and Ziggywurst, just to name a few developments.
“I think there’s a movement to come back to all this old stuff, and if you look at the age of the people who are moving in, it’s a lot of these younger millennials,” Lanker said.
Lanker said some of the reason for a movement to the downtown area was that many of the business owners, herself included, saw themselves as craftsmen and craftswomen, and that they wanted a unique place to ply their unique crafts.
“I am selling a unique product, so naturally I am drawn to a unique place,” Lanker said.
Howard said she doesn’t think there is any single reason for the recent flurry of activity,
“Ask any resident of Siloam Springs, and they’ll say that over the last few years, it has really felt like there have been a lot of noticeable physical improvements to the businesses, and that there have been a lot of building projects going on.
Main Street Siloam Springs was able to partner with several of the new projects, giving facade grants with the help of Main Street Arkansas, Howard said.
The new city annex, known as the “one stop permit shop,” has also been a positive impact for businesses. “I’ve heard from multiple business owners that that is really meaningful,” Howard said. “The city has put a lot of energy and money into downtown development,” Howard said.