by Michael Hibblen | Aug 24, 2026 | Arkansas Preservation
I’m always looking for opportunities to report on historic preservation. This story for The Glenwood Herald was fun for me because it detailed what some Arkansas cities are doing to revitalize their downtown areas.
Ki Hartsfield speaks to city leaders who came together in Glenwood on Friday, Aug. 14. All photos: Michael Hibblen
Leaders of small Arkansas cities have long faced many of the same challenges: how to help their communities prosper amid declining populations and deteriorating infrastructure. A core group is now sharing ideas and hoping to, as they openly put it, “rip off and duplicate” what is working elsewhere.
The group gets together every month or two in different cities to discuss strategies and network. The latest gathering was Friday, Aug. 14, when nearly two dozen mayors, chamber members and others came to Glenwood to discuss and see firsthand what has worked locally, particularly efforts to rejuvenate what had been a mostly abandoned downtown. Cities represented included Malvern, Waldron, Leslie, Keo, McNeil, Fordyce, De Queen and Amity.
The group assembled at Mercantile on Broadway, the shop owned and operated by Ki and Kayla Hartsfield, who have been active over the past three years investing in properties, organizing community events and bringing new life to downtown.
“We want to give you a scope of what that looks like, how that came to be, the lessons learned, the hurdles faced,” said Ki Hartsfield, executive vice president of commercial lending at Southern Bancorp. “The truth is, we don’t know what we’re doing, and I hope that’s an empowering statement.”
“We’ve had tons of successes. It’s easy to share the story now because we can show you success. It was harder two years ago because it did not look good,” he said.
The core message of the day, Hartsfield said, was for cities to realize that “help is not coming. There’s no blueprint, there’s no guide, there’s no master plan,” he said. “Just doing something is the key.”
REVITALIZING DOWNTOWN GLENWOOD
Kayla Hartsfield, president of the Glenwood Regional Chamber of Commerce, recalled attending a town hall meeting with about 20 people in January 2023. There was discussion about community needs, such as a sports complex and splash pad, before the conversation eventually turned to vacant buildings downtown. Questions were raised about who owned the buildings and what it would take to restore them.
“I realized there were more people than just us who wanted to see these buildings brought back to life, who wanted to see businesses downtown,” she said.
At the time, 60% of the buildings in downtown Glenwood were empty, Ki Hartsfield said.
“Not just vacant, but dilapidated, leaking, more mice than people — it was in bad shape,” he said. “So, obviously, working in Glenwood, driving through it day in and day out, I thought, man, let’s put our money where our mouth is.”
The couple began researching who owned the buildings and found that some could be purchased relatively cheaply. But they soon realized they couldn’t tackle the effort alone. Conversations with other like-minded young professionals eventually led to the formation of an investment group made up of six couples.
During a tour of buildings in downtown Glenwood, the group went through a former shoe store that is being cleaned out and will become a shop that sells homemade soaps.
Since then, Hartsfield said, $1.8 million in private capital has been invested in the two-block downtown area. He said he warned the other investors from the beginning that their investments might feel more like donations.
“We have to put purpose over profits, and that’s hard for people to digest. The reason Glenwood hadn’t been flipped is because it doesn’t make sense on paper,” he told the group.
“There has been a change in society where people want character in buildings. People want experience, right? The bypass and strip malls — no offense to those, but they’re kind of out,” Hartsfield said. “You have to look at it from another lens, because if it worked on paper, someone else would have done it.”
The municipal leaders were led on a walking tour of downtown, visiting five local businesses now operating in restored buildings. The final stop highlighted one of the biggest challenges still facing the investors: the historic Alford building. Efforts are continuing to find a tenant or tenants for the two-story, 8,000-square-foot building. Prospective tenants have toured the property, but so far none has worked out.
NETWORKING
Many of the city leaders also discussed how they came to serve their communities.
De Queen City Council member Rick Pruitt told the group that despite being born and raised there, he couldn’t wait to leave when he became an adult.
“I left De Queen in 1983 as a little punk rocker, shaking my fist saying, I’ll never come back. And then I moved back, because I wanted my daughter to climb the same trees as I did,” Pruitt said. “I’m so glad I did.”
Several participants told similar stories of leaving their communities for college or to pursue other opportunities, only to eventually return with a desire to improve their hometowns.
Three representatives of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission also attended, including Dana Poindexter, regional manager for southwest Arkansas. Poindexter first introduced Kayla Hartsfield to Keo Mayor Stephanie White, who has been organizing the regular gatherings of municipal leaders.
“You never know who’s going to be an asset for you. So constantly look for those people,” Ki Hartsfield said.
White said it was encouraging to see what has been accomplished in Glenwood.
“I think that all small towns, with our few resources and few people, it just takes committed folks to start somewhere and make an effort,” White said. “It’s infectious and it’s contagious. People want to see progress and be a part of something successful.”
The group walked through the Alford building, which was built around 1915 and is Glenwood’s most historic building.
Visitors go through the second floor of the Alford building, which was originally a hotel.
Leslie Mayor Eric Jaeger and his wife, Mary Jaeger, president of the Leslie Merchants Association, previously welcomed many of the same leaders to their city. Like the Hartsfields, the Jaegers also operate a local store.
Mary Jaeger said one aspect of Glenwood’s revitalization that stood out was its ability to form an investment group.
“We have a couple of open buildings, but having people that are willing to take that risk to develop downtown, it’s hard. It’s very hard,” she said.
Jaeger also stressed the importance of festivals in drawing visitors into small communities. Glenwood is preparing for its biggest annual event, the Caddo River Festival over Labor Day weekend, while Leslie is preparing for its Whittlin’ and Fiddlin’ Festival on Sept. 19.
“It’s bringing a part of our heritage of having the whittlers line the downtown. The gentlemen would sit and whittle, and I think that was their old-school Facebook. They’d be able to talk about what’s happening,” Jaeger said. “So having festivals is what has allowed us to even open up more, to bring people in and show them what kind of a gem we have in Leslie.”
Finding people willing to take leadership roles within their communities was another recurring theme.
In addition to her role with the chamber, Kayla Hartsfield serves as president of the board of directors for the nonprofit Glenwood Downtown Network, which is part of Main Street Arkansas. Two fellow board members, Jimmy Kennedy and Kara Oosterhous, also attended the gathering. Hartsfield stressed the importance of their roles in the organization and said she was grateful to have met people willing to become involved.
After spending the morning talking and touring downtown Glenwood, the group picked up sandwiches and headed to a cabin along the Caddo River, one of about two dozen short-term rentals providing overnight accommodations for visitors.
There, Waldron City Council member David Carter said he saw similarities between his community and Glenwood.
“We have the same goal to grow, be sustainable, have a better life and retain our young people,” Carter said. “So it’s encouraging to see that this right here, just this stretch, is amazing. The old buildings, the way they’ve retained the historical look, the original brick and that feel, because we have that in Waldron. We have all the historic buildings. It’s just getting the people together and moving towards that common goal.”
Veteran reporter, editor and manager at newspapers, radio and television stations. I’m also a photographer, historian and author, having written the 2017 book Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas.
by Michael Hibblen | Apr 21, 2026 | Arkansas Business, Arkansas News, Arkansas Preservation
This story, published in The Glenwood Herald on April 17, is a good example of how much I enjoy the unique storytelling opportunities that are available while reporting for small town newspapers.
Building owner Ethan Blackman and Tasha Harris inside the recently cleaned out storefront where she will open her store Farm Fresh Beauty. Photo: Michael Hibblen
Soon the creamy smell of soap being made will be wafting through downtown Glenwood, Ark., emanating from a shop at 223 E. Broadway. It’s the expansion of a business run by Tasha Harris of Kirby who is opening her first brick-and-mortar store.
For 13 years, she has been making small batches of artisan soap from fresh goat milk. It was first intended for a son who had severe baby eczema. Soon she began giving it to other family members and neighbors with some, she said, eventually asking if they could buy it. Thinking she might be able to make a little money, Harris took some bars to sell at a farmers market in Waldron.
“I was so excited that I called my grandmother, my mother-in-law, and I was like, we made $60 today. It didn’t even cover our expenses, but we were so tickled that people would actually want to use our soap,” Harris said. “A lot of the people in the community use our soaps and we’re very grateful for them. Everybody in our family uses them. Our family also drinks goat milk, so, I mean, we’re a goat milk family, that’s for sure.”
She began traveling to events in states throughout the region to sell her soap and eventually launched an online store, shipping soap to customers all over the U.S. But when she recently saw an empty storefront downtown, she decided to end the driving and pursue her dream of putting down roots by opening a soapery called Farm Fresh Beauty.
Earlier this month, a crew spent a few days removing the old interior — things like cheap wood paneling, plaster over walls and lowered ceilings — to get to the bare structure so that she can begin designing how her store will be laid out.
Harris said it’s “exciting and nerve racking. It’s like, it’s all happening really, really fast, but at the same time, it’s just taking forever to get there. So I don’t know how you can feel both, but I totally do.”
She’s working with Ethan Blackmon, who recently bought the building, primarily to use a large warehouse in the back. The storefront, which he estimates is about 1,800 square feet, was just being used for storage.
The two recently walked through the building, marveling at its newly-exposed brick walls and original tin ceiling tiles.
“My crew had a little bit of time on their hands. I was like, yeah, we can go ahead and start on it, but it just worked out perfect,” Blackmon told her.
“I love it, and the best thing is all this natural light is so beautiful,” Harris responded, gesturing toward the front windows.
Looking toward the front of the shop as renovations are underway. Photo: Michael Hibblen
Now visible for the first time in decades is a sign on one wall from the period when this space was a shoe store. It says “self-service,” inviting customers to pick up shoes themselves rather than wait for a salesperson. The sign offers shoes for $2.88 a pair or two pairs for $5.
Blackmon says his family is from Glenwood and has memories of coming to the shoe store.
“My mom grew up, you know, not too well off and so they would come up here and take advantage of the two for $5 shoes. They’d get their new new shoes for school every year,” he said.
Harris and Blackmon looked at the floor and began deciding where to place counters and how she wants her shop to be laid out. Harris is extremely enthusiastic about what’s being planned.
“So we’re going to turn it into a soapery where you can buy all the handmade artisan soaps. You’re also going to be able to get different things like luxury robes, anything spa-like, you’re able to get it there,” Harris said. “We also have an entire men’s line. All kinds of shaving stuff. We’ll even carry the old-timey straight razors and the belts to sharpen it.”
Toward the back of the shop, customers will also be able to watch Harris and her sister-in-law make the soaps.
“We’ll do everything except milk the goats right there. We’re not going to bring goats in, but we are going to make everything back there from the lotions, soaps, everything,” she said.
Harris says her family currently makes 300 to 400 bars of soap a week. On her farm, she has 36 nubian goats and her mother-in-law does the milking. She says the production process has them going through about ten gallons of milk a week.
She’s aiming to open the store by the beginning of July. In the meantime, the key structural work that Blackmon will need to do is replace the roof. Wood that was once used for bowling alley lanes will also be incorporated into the shop. He said one of his hobbies is looking through online marketplaces for old material that can be reused and he found this wood which had been used for a bowling alley in Oklahoma City.
While Harris is excited about her future shop, she’s equally thrilled that it will become part of the revitalization of downtown Glenwood.
“I really feel in five to 10 years it’s going to be even bigger than it is now. So I knew that if I was going to do this, this is where I wanted to be,” she said. “I feel like downtown is really starting to come alive, and it’s just going to get bigger. So if I was going to get in, now is the time to do it.”
Veteran reporter, editor and manager at newspapers, radio and television stations. I’m also a photographer, historian and author, having written the 2017 book Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas.
by Michael Hibblen | Mar 26, 2026 | Arkansas News, Arkansas Preservation
I wrote this story for The Glenwood Herald, which ran in the March 20 edition. The newspaper is one of six purchased recently by Newsroom Ventures LLC, which is owned by Roby Brock.
The Glenwood Revitalization Group is trying to find a tenant for the first floor of the historic Alford building. Photo: Michael Hibblen
Walking through the Alford building, Kayla Hartsfield, president of the Glenwood Downtown Network, imagines the possibilities while acknowledging what’s at stake. She hopes to find an ideal business that will move into the 4,000-square-foot first floor of the historic building, becoming an anchor in the revitalization of the city’s two-block downtown area.
Respondents to a survey conducted last fall overwhelmingly said a restaurant is the kind of business most needed to fill a void in dining options for the many visitors who come to the city for its outdoor recreation, she said.
”We need a tenant and would love to have dining. We have a shortage of a variety of dining.”
Maybe it could be a steakhouse, perhaps a restaurant that features live music — there are many possibilities, she said. Second in the survey was a business that provides family entertainment, while tied for third was having an event space or a fitness/wellness center.
Kayla and her husband Ki Hartsfield, an executive vice president at Southern Bancorp, are among six couples in their 30s and 40s who are part of the Glenwood Revitalization Group. All were raised here, then after most had attended college, came back and opened businesses or took over family businesses. They’re wanting to improve the community by rejuvenating the downtown, which she says in recent decades had become a “ghost town” and an “eyesore.”
The Alford, which is the largest building downtown, was constructed around 1915 at the corner of Broadway and 2nd Street. The bottom floor was originally a general store while the second floor was a hotel.
Until work began a couple of years ago, the brick structure had a weathered whitewashed look with the second-floor windows boarded over while an awning hid the original arched front entrance. Now the exterior has been restored with walls that are painted dark green while the architectural features are tan. A mural painted on the side says “Welcome to Historic Downtown Glenwood Arkansas.” Inside the first floor, the brick walls are now exposed and the original ornate tin ceiling tiles are bright and clean.
The Alford building as it appeared on Nov. 12, 2011 can be seen across the street at the corner of Broadway and 2nd streets in Glenwood, Ark. Photo: Chris Litherland/Creative Commons
Kayla Hartsfield inside the Alford building, with construction waiting to be completed when a tenant is selected for the first floor. In the back is an entrance that leads up to the second floor. Photo: Michael Hibblen
For two years the group has been actively seeking a tenant for the first floor, while the plan for the second floor is to again house visitors to the city.
“We would love to eventually — longterm — be able to have nightly rentals up there to help feed our downtown district,“ she said. “The boarding rooms are still intact on the top floor. We still have some of the original doors intact. It’s a really cool place.”
For the business on the first floor, rent will be decided based on several factors, Hartsfield said. Most important will be the cost to complete the renovation.
“We’re building out to suit our tenant’s needs, so we haven’t completed the inside or the outside yet because we’ve been still trying to find that perfect tenant.”
Hartsfield said the goal isn’t about profitability, but finding a tenant who will be successful and a good fit for the downtown. About 10 entities have inquired with some sending business proposals, but she says none have worked out.
Since November 2024, several businesses have opened or relocated to downtown. Hartsfield said they include Mercantile on Broadway, which she manages selling gifts, baked goods and seasonal produce, while a cafe in the back is run by a third-party vendor.
Caddo River Realty and Jackson Title Company moved a few weeks ago to a building on a corner. Legacy Boutique sells women’s clothing, while the Beauty Haven salon offers high quality facials and other skin treatments. Next door to Hartsfield’s shop, Fillabulous Aesthetics has begun moving in. When it opens soon it will provide weight loss management, IV therapy and lip filler treatments.
“So, just a variety,” Hartsfield said. “Its been great because we’re all different types of businesses, so we’ve been able to really feed each other. They send people to us, we send people to them.”
While speaking about the overall downtown project earlier this month at Henderson State University, Ki Hartsfield estimated that at least $1.6 million has been invested in the area by the Glenwood Revitalization Group.
It’s hoped that finally landing a tenant for the Alford building will help achieve the group’s goals for the downtown.
“We’re ultimately wanting to do something that the community can be proud of again. So just community pride and then economic development,” Kayla Hartsfield said. “We have all of these tourists come and they’re driving to Hot Springs. They’re driving to other towns for shopping and dining and entertainment and things to do, so [we’re] trying to change that and get them to stay here and then spend their money here.”
Veteran reporter, editor and manager at newspapers, radio and television stations. I’m also a photographer, historian and author, having written the 2017 book Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas.
