Rogers Landmark Could be Altered Dramatically

Can a half-century of history and a newfangled liquor store coexist?

That’s the question Whispers asked when it found out that a liquor permit will probably be issued to Patsy Simmons, owner of the iconic Susie Q Malt Shop in downtown Rogers.

You know, the aqua blue burger joint with the big red arrow out front? Yeah, that place. It’s been there since 1960, which means it’s pre-Beaver Lake, pre-Interstate 540 and, yes, pre-Pinnacle Hills.

Simmons is one of 55 Benton County applicants selected to appear before the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Board in mid-July with plans for a liquor store. If the plans are good, then Simmons will get a permit.

Simmons told Whispers that if she were approved, she’d see what she could do to at least save the landmark sign, which was handmade for the original restaurant owner, Mildred Head.

Simmons said she might incorporate the word “liquor” in the sign and keep “Susie Q.” That way, the cute name that’s been synonymous with Rogers for the last 53 years will live on.

Big Decisions

Barring an unforeseen glitch in the machine, a liquor store is going into that location. If the burger-and-fries part of the outfit survives, that would be great.

But Whispers has been around the block a few times, and we know it’s a heck of a lot easier, and much more profitable, to sell a bottle of Smirnoff than it is to fry up a basket of onion rings.

Simmons said she could work around the restaurant and build the liquor store on the back of the lot. She also said she could renovate the entire building to accommodate both the drive-in and the liquor store.

“I have a lot of decisions to make in the near future,” she said.

What that means is that regardless of what it looks like, change is coming.

Good Location

While Whispers knows Susie Q is a downtown institution, the total situation is a bit more nuanced than that. Susie Q, at 614 N. Second St., is not within the Rogers Downtown Historic District. Nor is it within the Main Street Rogers District. You know what that means, right? No strict overlay regulations like the ones that have to be obeyed down south on Walnut Street. Simmons, you see, has her green card.

Simmons, under the Patsy Simmons Limited Partnership, bought the property from the Head family in 2004. But her relationship to the land goes much deeper than that.

“I was born on that corner,” said Simmons, who worked at Susie Q years ago. She now leases the restaurant to Sheila Williams, who is in limbo until the state board rules on Simmons’ application.

Of course, all this started back in November, when Benton County voters overwhelmingly approved a measure making their county wet. It was that vote that opened the door for Simmons’ bid for a permit. Located near the junctions of U.S. 62, Arkansas 94 and Arkansas 12, Susie Q is not exactly out in the boondocks.

“It’s a good location,” Simmons said.

Whispers would say it’s a fantastic location, especially if you have a retail liquor permit.