Downtown is up

In the midst of a pandemic and economic recession, Americans are watching businesses shut down at a record pace. So when we see some good economic news, we note it.

This week the good news came from downtown Springdale, which, amid all the shutdowns, reports having a pretty good year.

“The Downtown Springdale Alliance can count 28 new, developing and growing businesses in the city’s central district last year—despite the shutdown created by covid-19. The Outdoor Dining District also proved successful for the Alliance, with almost 10,000 to-go drinks served in five months. Bars and restaurants reported increased sales, and retail businesses downtown reported more foot traffic when the district was open,” the papers say.

To see any downtown businesses thriving during a pandemic leads us to wonder what will happen when a sense of normalcy returns.

Another factor that should help boost outdoor dining—and not just in Springdale—is spring’s approach. Scientists have shown outdoor dining during the pandemic is the safest way to do it.

For the people who have been working to make Springdale’s downtown a shopping and dining destination, it’s great to see hard work pay off. In 2019, the city started work on a downtown arts district.

So far the district has brought investment in the arts, established a creative culture, attracted art installations and makers’ spaces. That same arts district also helped recruit talent to Springdale to help local artists.

And if the surrounding area continues to attract new businesses and shoppers, then we’d say it was a worthy investment.