Hot Springs Chain to Open Store in Mall

Romancing the Stone was scheduled to open a new store March 1 in the Northwest Arkansas Mall in Fayetteville.

The Fayetteville location will be the fifth Romancing the Stone store for the chain, which is based in Hot Springs and owned by Nick Tillman. The company has two Romancing the Stone stores in Hot Springs and one each in Little Rock and North Little Rock.

Romancing the Stone sells handicrafts and other imported items, said Kacee Young, the company’s district manager. Items sold at the store include minerals, primitive art, stone carvings, wood carvings, candles and candle holders, incense, jewelry and other handicrafts and natural products.

“I import from 11 different countries,” Tillman said. “I travel all over — Bali and China and India — to try to find cool stuff to put in the store. It seems to be working well.”

The store will occupy 2,294 SF of space that was previously home to Nature’s Niche, a seasonal store that closed after Christmas. Tillman said his stores range from 2,000 to 5,000 SF in size.

Young said the Fayetteville store will employ about six people.

Tillman said he plans to open three more stores within the year. He is currently considering locations in Memphis and Springfield, Mo.