Glenwood applies for Main Street Arkansas program to revitalize downtown

By JOE MAY | The Southern Standard

In the past year, downtown Glenwood has been undergoing a positive transformation, and a handful of individuals hope to take that one step further.

On Monday Feb. 10, 2025, Mark Miller, a representative of Main Street Arkansas paid a visit to Glenwood to discuss the possibility of admitting a section of Broadway into that program, which focuses on commercial revitalization as a way of keeping the older sections of cities economically viable.

Kayla Hartsfield, one of six couples active in the Glenwood Revitalization Group, which has been purchasing and rehabbing downtown structures, said admission to the program would open up the area to additional grants as well as advice on how to keep the district viable. She stressed that the meeting was not affiliated with any group.

“We have a committee of local stakeholders, both community members and business owners who are working together to complete the application,” she said.

If the application for the Main Street Arkansas program, which is affiliated with the national Main Street America program, is accepted, Hartsfield said that a separate non-profit would be organized and the group would decide which areas of downtown would be included in the district. The application is due March 31.

If accepted, Glenwood would enter the program as a Downtown Network. Arkadelphia is currently listed as a downtown network, she said.

Hartsfield, who organized Monday’s meeting, said she has been exploring the Main Street program since 2023 and has attended several workshops regarding it. She noted the revitalization group had also applied for a local historic district, but the state turned down the application, noting the number of changes to the buildings in question. Some of the structures, however, are still eligible for the National or Arkansas Registry of Historic Places.

Being part of the Main Street program would open up the area for beautification grants and events, as well as funds that can be awarded to businesses within the designated area.

Though not associated directly with the Main Street application, the revitalization group has six buildings in Glenwood, two of which are completed and the other four are undergoing renovation/ restoration.

Personally, Hartsfield and her husband, Ki, own Mercantile on Broadway, which once housed the offices of the Glenwood Herald.