Downtown Conway is home to nearly 300 businesses and 2,800 employees. The downtown area boasts businesses in retail, entertainment, services, and corporate offices.  

“It’s the heart of the city,” said Kim Williams, executive director of the Conway Downtown Partnership. “If your downtown is not strong, it’s not pumping anything out to the rest of the city.” 

Pulse spoke to several business owners throughout downtown Conway to get a feel about what attracts business to downtown and what makes the area so important to the rest of the city. 

‘It’s a tight-knit community’ 

Classic Touch has been a valued, respected business in Conway for years. That has continued under the ownership of Kimberly Paladino since 2019. Paladino made the choice a few months ago to move her shop downtown and rebrand from Classic Touch to Three Poppies. 

“We love Conway; it’s a big city with a smalltown feel, and downtown is one of those parts of the city that makes it what it is,” Paladino said. “As a small business, we want to be successful, but more importantly, we want to be involved in the community, meeting new people and having an impact, and downtown is where that happens most.” 

Three Poppies is a one-stop shop for gifts, home decor, apparel, and floral needs.  

“We’re still a full-service floral shop and do daily deliveries,” she said. “People can come in and pick up, they can buy stems and do their own flowers, and we’re also willing to help people with their DIY projects.” 

Creating Vibrancy in Downtown 

Brent Salter, vice president of Salter Properties, has been involved in several recent developments and improvements downtown through Salter family companies like Engage Management, Salter Properties and Salter Construction. This includes the renovation of the Ford Building on Front Street and the JLofts Downtown on Spencer Street. 

Salter Properties and Salter Construction have also added modern office space downtown through the renovation of Metro Square on Main Street in the heart of downtown. The building offers more than 9,000 square feet of office space on the first floor with a variety of options on the second floor, ranging from 201 square feet to 1,751 square feet. 

When downtown has a good mix of retail, office, restaurants, entertainment, and livable space, it creates vibrancy, Salter said. 

“When those things come together, it creates an environment that is enjoyable,” he said. “You must take a wholistic approach to make sure you have all different uses and activities in the area, so there are things happening from sunup to after sundown.” 

‘We Bet On The Location’ 

When Kings Live Music opened in 2011 as a dueling piano bar, managing partner Dustin Botsford remembers being one of the few businesses located along that part of Front Street. Now, Kings is in the middle of several thriving businesses and has become one of the staples of downtown’s entertainment options. 

“We bet on the location knowing what we had seen in other cities,” Botsford said. “The amount of life that exists in downtown now is tremendous.” 

Moving forward, Botsford — who manages Kings Live Music and Brick Room Events located next door with fellow managing partner Marcus Bobbitt — wants to see more entertainment located in downtown. 

“Entertainment helps foster a thriving downtown,” he said. “It would be better for Conway and for attracting more people from outside our city into downtown.” 

From Warehouse to European Patisserie 

For years, the 6,000-squre-foot warehouse at 1137 Front St. had been a place for offices, a commercial kitchen for Stoby’s and Patticakes Bakery, and storage for David and Patti Stobaugh. But as Front Street began to revitalize, the Stobaughs capitalized on their downtown space for a pastry shop. 

Patticakes Downtown, which opened in 2019, is a European-style patisserie featuring high-end pastries and a staff of well-trained pastry chefs.  

Growing up in a large city, Stobaugh said she grew to appreciate a vibrant downtown, and is thrilled to be a part of Conway’s downtown transformation over the last several years. 

“To see how with the help of Kim Williams, the downtown partnership, and Main Street Arkansas, we have been able to revitalize downtown is truly remarkable to me,” she said. 

Editor’s Note: This story was written previous to the fire sustained at Patticakes Bakery and Palmer Music Co. on Front Street in downtown Conway. For the latest information from Palmer Music Co., follow them on Facebook. If you would like to support Patticakes Bakery, visit here.