No Ice, Yet, at Mercantile Building

Cal Canfield has been working hard to land a restaurant and a bar for the Fayetteville Mercantile Building, but so far he’s had no luck.

r”We’ve had three restaurants who have looked at it that are really serious,” Canfield said. “It’s going to be a prime, prime restaurant location. It’s on the street, and it’s going to have excellent frontage.”

rIn May 1999, Canfield and two partners who prefer to remain anonymous purchased the 97-year-old building at 339 N. West Ave. in Fayetteville for about $500,000.

rThe partnership, known as Ice Plant Development LLC, has put about $1 million into renovation, Canfield said.

rRenovation began immediately after the building was purchased and should be completed around Thanksgiving, he said.

r”We are reconstructing the shell of the building and getting the interior ready …” Canfield said. Individual tenants will be expected to complete the interior construction, and that may take another two months.

rCanfield said the mixed-use development actually consists of two adjoined buildings — a two-story, 11,000-SF structure and a one-story, 3,000-SF building. The roof of the 3,000-SF building, he noted, can be used for seating as a dining area.

rThe prime restaurant location Canfield mentioned is a 2,700-SF section at the southeast corner of the 11,000-SF building. That location would also have 607 SF of space available as a patio and 911 SF of balcony space after construction is completed.

rBuilt in 1903 as the Fayetteville Mercantile Building, a map from 1904 indicated Fayetteville Ice & Storage Co. then occupied most of the structure.

rThe project Web site, fayettevillemercantile.com, indicates space there will lease annually from $11 to $14 per SF. Currently, Ice Plant Development has leased none of the space there.,P.rTwo of the potential tenants Canfield has spoken to about the location are JR’s Lightbulb Club & Pizzaria and Ghazi’s Pesto Cafe, which both currently have locations in Fayetteville.

rJimmy Rapert, the owner of JR’s Lightbulb Club, has been looking for a large, live music venue since JR’s Ballroom, an 8,900-SF warehouse off Dickson Street, closed in early 1999. Rapert was partners in that business along with Chris King and Benton Bandy. JR’s Ballroom was reopened under new management as Dave’s on Dickson. rRapert said negotiations have temporarily broken down with Canfield.rrLenny’s opens ron Dickson StreetrLenny’s Sub Shop opened its Fayetteville restaurant on Sept. 21, just in time for the Arkansas Razorbacks’ football game against Alabama.

r”We got a very, very warm welcome from everybody,” said Steve Brady, who manages the restaurant along with Ray Bentley. “It’s been really good.”rBrady describes Lenny’s as a “Philadelphia-style sub shop.”

rLenny’s occupies 2,200 SF in the Three Sisters retail/office complex on Dickson Street.

rThe restaurant is the 12th for the Memphis-based franchise. The company has eight sub shops in Memphis, two in Destin, Fla., and one in Hattiesburg, Miss. Brady said another five Lenny’s are currently in the works in Tennessee and Alabama.

rThe Fayetteville Lenny’s occupies the building at 248 W. Dickson St. that previously housed Restaurant on the Corner, a Dickson Street landmark for more than two decades.rrPanda opens in SpringdalerOn Aug. 27, Tom Tam opened his fourth Panda Restaurants. The new Chinese restaurant was built on a 2.5-acre lot at 3050 Sunset Ave. in Springdale that’s owned by Gerald Harp, the owner of Harps Food Stores.

rThe 9,400-SF restaurant is about 2,000 SF larger than the Panda Restaurant in Fayetteville.

rTam opened the first Panda in Hot Springs around 1992. He also has a Panda Restaurant in Rogers.

rTam plans to open a Panda Restaurant in Dallas in October.

rTrotline Restaurant to open in RogersrRusty and Jill Leigh plan to open The Trotline Restaurant at 2813 West Walnut St. in Rogers on Oct. 3.

rThe Leighs are leasing the 4,800-SF building, which will seat about 175 diners.

rThe restaurant will specialize in fresh, farm-raised catfish, said Jill Leigh.

rBut other menu items will include chicken filets, boiled and fried shrimp, chicken fried steak, hamburger steak, sandwiches, hamburgers and salads.

rJill Leigh said the menu is identical to that of Wood’s Place in Camden. She managed Wood’s Place for eight years before moving to Northwest Arkansas in August.

rThe Trotline Restaurant will be open for dinner only the first week, then for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday after that.