Kyle Kellams: Main Street Fort Smith is using results of a survey to help understand what people want to do in downtown Fort Smith. Amanda Hager, executive director of the nonprofit Main Street Fort Smith, says this poll was created by Main Street America.
Amanda Hager: And the purpose of it for us is specifically to help us formulate our next three to five year goals as an organization.”
Kellams: The more than 1,200 responses offer insight to how people use downtown and what amenities they would like more of there. 87% of respondents say they regularly go downtown. The top reason? Almost two-thirds of the reasons for their trips downtown, to eat. Second and third are entertainment and events or festivals.
Hager: What this told us, it was like, OK, we’re already doing what the community wants us to do, but what do they want more of? And it was funny because they really wanted more of what we already have, which is a good thing, right? Because we’re already going in the right direction.
Main Street Fort Smith, the Central Business Improvement District, the Downtown Business Association, the city, private investors, they’re already making moves that the city, that our community is wanting to see. We just need to figure out how to do more of it and maybe do it better.
Kellams: As for the survey’s wish list, the top request is more live music, movie screenings or a movie theater is second, and more art downtown is the third request. Hager says the desire for live music ranked near or at the top of all age groups, but especially for those between the ages of 18 and 24 and 55 to 64. People between 24 and 55 want live music as well, but also events for their entire household.
Hager: Thirties and 40s, they all wanted to see more events to attend, which makes sense because you’re looking for something to do with your family, most likely, or friends. But movie screenings and music performances and art kind of juggled really for the second and third places for those age groups. But yeah, if the people who are getting their kids out of the house and people who don’t have kids in the house yet, they’re like, give us more live music.
Kellams: There is a foundation to build a more robust downtown music scene upon. The Levitt AMP music series has offered free concerts from across multiple genres for the past five years, and the city was just awarded another three-year grant cycle to continue that series. The relatively new Bakery District is also hosting music, and Hager says there are other options as well.
Hager: We also have great music venues like the Majestic Fort Smith. They have very affordable concerts. And it used to, you know, it’s really a true music venue now. It’s evolved over the years and it’s a true, wonderful music venue. And then there’s lots of just great places like La Huerta. They do awesome live music on their patio. So does AJ’s Oyster House. So you can see free or very affordable live music, either with your kids or without your kids in downtown Fort Smith every single week.
Kellams: But to increase downtown events, Hager says it will take public and private investment of time, money and imagination. She cites the recent New Year’s Eve ball drop, hosted by the Downtown Business Association, as one example. And she says the Business Improvement District is also working on events in downtown Fort Smith.
Hager: And they are actually looking into how they can boost the music economy, which will boost the downtown economy, by thinking about infrastructure projects that they can get involved with. They don’t have anything official yet, but I know that that is something that they are looking into. Could we get some equipment, like music production equipment that could live in downtown, be used in the city parks that already exist, where we do like the Levitt AMP Fort Smith music series and other organizations do their live concerts. Could they get some infrastructure for us to make it more affordable for us to hold these types of events?
Kellams: And Hager says the survey can be a pretty obvious guide for investors. Just look, she says, at the respondents wanting more family entertainment downtown.
Hager: Which is like arcades, escape rooms, mini golf, those sorts of things. And we really don’t have anything like that downtown right now. So if you’re an investor looking at these numbers and you’re like, OK, downtown Fort Smith is cool. It’s thriving. How can I get in there and really make my mark and find something that not only is going to make money, but is something that the community wants. This is great information for investors or current stakeholders.
Kellams: The full survey and its results can be found at mainstreetfs.org.
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