Van Buren Chamber moving to a new multiuse building

When asked what the Van Buren Chamber of Commerce has planned for 2025, President and CEO Julie Murray had a simple answer: moving. The chamber is in the process of selling its building, an historic property located at 510 Main St.

At the same time, renovation has begun at 111 N. 12th St., which in the past has served as a public library and an annex for the city’s planning department. Until moving in, which is planned for July, Murray and her colleagues will balance the day-to-day challenges of working from home with calls from building contractors.

The planned move is the result of an economic action plan that was launched in partnership with the city of Van Buren in 2022. The two-year search for a better facility led back to the city of Van Buren.

“The chamber needed a facility to better serve our members,” Murray said. “We love our downtown building, but we don’t drive traffic for our merchants. We felt like we were in the way. … We ended up partnering with the city on a building they aren’t using.”

Besides offices for staff, the 1,000-square-foot space will provide amenities previously unavailable to chamber members. The chamber has 483 members, three full-time staff, and one part-time staffer.

“Having new offices is nice, but it’s not just about that,” Murray said. “It’s about how to put the new space to use. Currently there’s not a lot of meeting space available. Our civic clubs, such as Rotary (Club and the Lions Club, have never had a dedicated meeting space. This facility will also serve as their meeting space and storage space. They will have room to work.”

The new space will also provide support as what Murray calls an entrepreneurial support organization.

“This building will allow us to open up as a coworking space for startups; being around like-minded people for conversation, synergy; being able to use our building as their business address,” she said.

Murray expects the renovated building to support 75 entrepreneurs on a monthly basis. The new facility will also provide office space for a representative from the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith Center for Economic Development, and as-needed meeting space for visitors from the Arkansas Economic Development Commission.

“We will retain the same main phone number of 479-474-2761, and our email addresses will remain the same, so you can easily contact us as needed,” Murray noted in a statement to members. “We will still be out and about in the community hosting events and visiting our members as usual.”