Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Downtown merchants still await development
SPRINGDALE — Customers came, but strictly for the hot cocoa.
“Not one set a mug down and made a purchase,” said Brenda McCall. She often helps at Della De Ville’s vintage clothing shop downtown, owned by her granddaughter Dela Billingsly.
Others declared success for the Hot Cocoa Crawl when 500 mugs sold out in two weeks. The Cocoa Crawl was one of 37 events involving the Downtown Springdale Alliance in 2019 — from political rallies to school luncheons to marathons to business development events, all in an effort to bring people downtown.
Participants in the Cocoa Crawl bought mugs and took them to sponsoring businesses to fill with cocoa.
The alliance helps realize the vision of the city’s downtown plan adopted in 2015 and administers the $642,638 grant the city received from the Walton Family Foundation to redesign Luther George Park, said Jill Dabbs, alliance executive director. In addition to funding from the city, the group funds its work through private donations and grants.
The city’s yearly contract asks the alliance to promote and attract customers and businesses to downtown. The City Council voted unanimously last month to renew the $50,000 contract.
Dabbs estimated about 30,000 people attended events downtown last year.
“It’s easy to see their work to bring in events to promote the area,” said Mayor Doug Sprouse.
Some merchants don’t agree.
“They’ve got a long way to go,” said Jennifer Matsubara, owner of Shelby Lynn’s Cake Shop on West Emma Avenue. She declined further comment about the alliance.
FEET ON THE STREET
Small-business owners along Emma agree: They need customers, which means more people downtown.
Downtown merchants and the alliance need to work together, said Mary Beth Brooks of the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Center.
“They need to think about how to make it a destination,” she said.
Sandy Hurd, an owner of The Avenue, a fair trade shop on Emma, said business could be better. She said the alliance could help her store with a presence on social media.
“I need them to help me in promoting the store because they have such a greater outreach than I do,” Hurd said.
Dabbs said the alliance shares special promotions and events of downtown businesses and cooperates in planning special shopping days.
McCall said the business owners don’t feel part of the alliance’s effort to revitalize downtown and are planning events of their own to attract customers.
“Events really do make a difference,” Hurd said. “I might see six people today,” she said on a rainy winter morning.
DEVELOPMENT PIPELINE
Officials of the city, the alliance and the Chamber of Commerce have repeatedly promised development is on its way, business owners said.
Hello Local, a store specializing in items promoting the various cities in Northwest Arkansas, closed its West Emma store last year. Owner Mark Cloud said the store didn’t have enough customers to pay the rent on the building. Events helped, but there weren’t enough events attracting people with disposable income.
A pop-up store at the Christmas on the Creek event showed him there’s still a demand for his merchandise. And he said he would consider returning to Emma.
“We do need a brick and mortar store,” he continued. “But it wasn’t the right time or the right place.”
The city Planning Commission on Feb. 4 approved construction plans for a mixed-use residential, commercial and entertainment development on West Emma.
Runway, a company connected to the Walton family, bought the property several years ago. Officials last summer unveiled plans for 55 apartments, two restaurants and Traveling Public, a gathering place featuring candle-pin bowling.
Runway has announced no dates for construction to begin or the project to open.
Don Harris and Tom Lundstrom of Shiloh Capital this summer announced another 24-unit, mixed-use project on East Emma Avenue, and construction is underway.
“The big thing is to draw people in,” said Jeffrey Cooperstein, a research assistant with the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Arkansas. “Bodies increase during the day when people are working down there, but you want bodies at night from apartment complexes and night-oriented businesses.
“The Walton bowling alley might be a reason to go at night,” he said. “You need to give the people a reason to stop.”
“There’s a mindset of where to go in Northwest Arkansas — and it’s not Springdale,” Cooperstein said. “But Springdale is working on changing those attitudes.”
Matsubara said potential small-business owners were wanting to see this and other projects started before taking on their own ventures on Emma. They hope people living in the district will take advantage of the shopping and dining opportunities.
“I think this is a benchmark of where downtown is going,” said Perry Webb, president of the Springdale Chamber of Commerce, of the Walton development. “But it’s not the end-all. So many things are in the pipeline.”
Laurinda Joenks can be reached by email at joenks@nwadg.com or on Twitter @NWALaurinda.