Hager focused on ‘building relationships,’ full buildings in downtown Fort Smith

It’s been almost a year since Amanda Hager was named executive director of Main Street Fort Smith, formerly 64.6 Downtown. As the new director, she ushered in new branding and ideas, including a way to boost the downtown entrepreneur ecosystem.

64.6 was founded in 2015 by Fort Smith businessman Steve Clark with a goal to serve as a catalyst for economic development by fostering arts and culture downtown. Talicia Richardson was the organization’s first executive director and worked to get 64.6 designated as a Main Street community in Arkansas in 2020.

The nonprofit has been responsible for The Unexpected, which brought artists to the city to create murals downtown and elsewhere in the city; sponsoring Invest Fort Smith forums; and bringing free music concerts to downtown through the Levitt AMP music series.

It was rebranded as Main Street Fort Smith in summer 2024. Richardson stepped down as the executive director about that same time to pursue a private mental health practice, handing everything over to Hager. Though the name changed, the organization kept it’s same mission, Hager said.

“When you first start out, it’s a lot of ‘keep your train on the tracks’ because the organization was doing so well,” Hager said.

RESEARCH, PLANNING
During the first several months, Hager worked to figure out what Main Street Fort Smith could do as an organization and what it means to be a Main Street in terms of the affiliation with the national and state organizations. And there was a lot of relationship building, she said.

“So much of what I do is building relationships between my organization and stakeholders of downtown, but also helping to connect stakeholders together,” she said.

Another part of the job is going beyond making connections and arts and culture and focusing on business and economic development downtown. Along with hosting another Invest Fort Smith event this fall, Main Street Fort Smith is looking at ideas for the holiday season that spur economic development.

But Hager’s main goal, what she hopes will be her legacy with Main Street Fort Smith, is to see the buildings full downtown.

“This is our city’s cultural identity. This is our historical hub. We should put the effort and love into not only preserving the historical integrity of downtown but also continue to honor it as our cultural and economic center,” she said.

In order to do that, Main Street Fort Smith needs to figure out ways to bring more business downtown and keep tenants in property owners’ buildings, she said.

And Hager has a plan.

Other Main Streets have done several different programs that Hager has studied and she thinks some could benefit downtown Fort Smith.

“I think there may be partners within the city who would be really interested in helping out with (these),” she said.

INCUBATOR IDEA
Some of Hager’s ideas revolve around beautification of the buildings that are in downtown even if they are vacant through window clings and other beautification techniques. Hager would also like Main Street Fort Smith to start a popup small business incubator program.

The program, which is still in its research phase, would put rotating business in a space downtown that has sat vacant for an extended period. Theoretically, a building would participate for four months and three rotating businesses that sign on would get a month in the space, Hager said. The business would get three days to move in. They would get one month in the space, and then they would have three days to move out, she said. The business would be in charge of insuring their items, their display, and their work.

“But through grant money and partnerships, the goal would be that the business would not have to pay rent, utilities or liability insurance on the physical building,” Hager said.

The businesses would have to commit, have a business plan and marketing plan, and some sort of online presence.

“This would be a way for them to test out a brick and mortar at a much lower risk,” Hager said. “That would be great to help business owners, but it would also be a great way to help property owners because the public is seeing that there is a business in the building, perhaps spurring them to consider renting the space for their business.”

The goal is that even if the pop-up businesses do not want to rent the space and put their business in the building on a permanent basis, someone else will want to because they saw the potential of the space,” Hager said.

The property owner is getting rent on the space during the time, whether the pop-up business decides to stay or someone else decides it’s the best location for them. Hager said the idea could be a great way to help the entrepreneur ecosystem and the small business ecosystem in Fort Smith while also making downtown Fort Smith more attractive.

“What’s good for downtown is good for Fort Smith and what is good for Fort Smith is good for downtown,” Hager said.

While the idea is still in the research phase, Hager said she feels it is something Main Street Fort Smith can accomplish, perhaps as early as spring 2026.