Emerging Emma

Whispers never thought we’d say this, but here it goes: the land rush is on in downtown Springdale. Emma Avenue to be exact. If you don’t believe us, then maybe you’ll believe the numbers.

The entire north side of the 200 block of east Emma, two buildings in all, is under contract with a single buyer. The closing is expected in June.

The properties, listed at a total price of $1.26 million, represent nearly 30,000 SF of commercial space. Both pieces — the old Ryan’s Clothing store and the San Jose Manor — were on the market for less than a year.

In downtown Bentonville that might be hum-drum, but on Emma Avenue, which for years has languished in the shadow of the Har-Ber district out by Arvest Ballpark, a purchase of that size is monumental.

A source told Whispers that the pending purchase is a hot one, too. The buildings will not be mothballed. Instead they will be renovated.

“Some things are going to go on down there,” said the source.

The current deal might just be the beginning. At least seven other Emma properties are up for sale and at least another two within a stone’s throw of Emma are on the market. And new merchants have already arrived. Before Ryan’s and San Jose went under contract, Christopher & Co. vintage market and Mix Manor high-end consignment, among others, opened their doors.

All the action on Emma is not private sector, however. While the Springdale City Council just voted to demolish the dangerous and decrepit Brown Hatchery Building just east of the railroad tracks, it also voted to stave off demolition of the Apollo Theater, which is listed at $70,000, at the west end of the Emma business district.

While Whispers is a bit surprised at all the activity on Emma, we kind of saw it coming. The Razorback Regional Greenway is going right through the heart of downtown Springdale. To accompany the trail, the city is tearing down two old structures on the north side of Emma to create a communal green space. There are also plans to open up the culvert over Spring Creek so that people can actually see the ribbon of water that gave the city its name.

A well-placed source told Whispers that Springdale is ripe for the picking. The downtown area, with its open spaces and its bricks and mortar, can accommodate as many as 5,000 people for any given event. For comparison, the Walmart AMP in Rogers can hold about 7,000.

If you recall, in August we reported that Daniel Hintz, the event planner who now contracts with the Northwest Arkansas Council, was coming to Springdale to work his magic. Indeed, a source recently told Whispers that his boots are on the ground there.

But back to the pending purchase in the 200 block. Whispers asked a lot of people who the buyer was, but folks either didn’t know or didn’t want to tell. Speculation, meanwhile, is that someone in the Walton family is involved. As one giddy downtowner put it: “I’m hoping it’s the big dogs from up in Benton County.”

Sooner or later we’ll know.