The River Market

[MDC26]

The awards were given out last Friday.  I don't know what that means for the actual project, or if there's any funding, or timeline.

AWARD WINNERS

---

JURY DELIBERATED AWARDS

PROFESSIONAL - TAGGART ARCHITECTS   (Town Branch Park)

STUDENT - ELLA REYNOLDS  (Past, Present, Future Little Rock)

PUBLIC - KWADI HIGGINS  (Untitled)

---

PUBLIC CHOICE AWARDS

LITTLE ROCK PLACEMAKING - POLK STANLEY WILCOX ARCHITECTS  (Undrpass)

ESTABLISHING CONNECTIONS - CROMWELL ARCHITECTS ENGINEERS (Little Rock Parkway)

THE WILDCARD - AMR ARCHITECTS   (Arkansas River Walk)

[Architect]

There's no funding or timeline.  As I understand it, this was a competition to generate ideas about vision to help inform civic leaders of possible future development of the park.  I think there were some nominal financial prizes for the award winners.

[MDC26]

4 hours ago, Architect said:

There's no funding or timeline.  As I understand it, this was a competition to generate ideas about vision to help inform civic leaders of possible future development of the park.  I think there were some nominal financial prizes for the award winners.

I wonder if it will just be a weedy, sparsely covered with grass area that gets mowed every two months until it gets funded?  Or will it actually get sodded, watered, treated, and frequently mowed?  

[ecity3138]

According to THV11, the Library Kitchen and Lounge has close its doors at the River Market due to financial strains from the pandemic and other factors such as parking issues at the River Market. 
 

https://www.thv11.com/article/money/business/river-market-restaurant-closes/91-a0ce5c00-703b-4a80-854c-c9cbce3a83a1

Edited December 3, 2022 by ecity3138

[Architect]

On 12/3/2022 at 10:22 AM, ecity3138 said:

According to THV11, the Library Kitchen and Lounge has close its doors at the River Market due to financial strains from the pandemic and other factors such as parking issues at the River Market. 
 

https://www.thv11.com/article/money/business/river-market-restaurant-closes/91-a0ce5c00-703b-4a80-854c-c9cbce3a83a1

That place had a cool vibe as far as style, but from what I've read it struggled to really define what it wanted to be, and it didn't help that it opened literally the same month as the pandemic started.  Regardless, I hate for just about any venture to fail.

[MDC26]

On 12/3/2022 at 10:22 AM, ecity3138 said:

According to THV11, the Library Kitchen and Lounge has close its doors at the River Market due to financial strains from the pandemic and other factors such as parking issues at the River Market. 
 

https://www.thv11.com/article/money/business/river-market-restaurant-closes/91-a0ce5c00-703b-4a80-854c-c9cbce3a83a1

I don't know why the need to blame parking.  There is plenty of parking downtown.  Sorry if there's not a free 50 spot parking lot right outside the door, but that's the whole point of downtowns.  There's plenty of other businesses in the River Market with the exact same parking options.  Thousands of additional people find a way to get to the River Market when there's a concert.  I feel bad for them, and wish they would have been successful.  There's probably multiple factors it couldn't make it, but parking isn't one.  

[Walls99]

On 12/5/2022 at 3:39 PM, MDC26 said:

I don't know why the need to blame parking.  There is plenty of parking downtown.  Sorry if there's not a free 50 spot parking lot right outside the door, but that's the whole point of downtowns.  There's plenty of other businesses in the River Market with the exact same parking options.  Thousands of additional people find a way to get to the River Market when there's a concert.  I feel bad for them, and wish they would have been successful.  There's probably multiple factors it couldn't make it, but parking isn't one.  

I'm sorry, but the fact that they felt the need to blame "lack of parking" as a reason for their demise is laughable. I agree that if they want 50 spaces readily available at the front door, they would be much better suited for a suburban location instead of an urban one. And not to mention that like half of downtown was decimated for surface parking lots that sit mostly vacant (a horrific use of space; infill projects are greatly needed downtown), so it's not even like downtown lacks parking spaces. 

[skirby]

Future home to the i-30 park. It really needs a name.

[Architect]

15 hours ago, skirby said:

Future home to the i-30 park. It really needs a name.

What it needs first is money!

[theman]

Cannibal and Craft officially closed yesterday. According to KARK it’s the third spot to close in the district in the past year with the Library Kitchen and Charles’s Good Time Drinkery. What’s going on with the Rivermarket District? It’s interesting that some places can thrive down there and others can’t.  Look at Willie D’s, Sticky’s Rock and Roll Chicken Shack, the Rev Room, Flying Saucer, Big Whiskey’s, Flying Fish, Cache, Dizzy’s and Duggan’s (I’m sure I have left out others) have been down there forever but these new guys can’t make it a year or two. 

[MDC26]

On 6/1/2023 at 4:23 PM, theman said:

Cannibal and Craft officially closed yesterday. According to KARK it’s the third spot to close in the district in the past year with the Library Kitchen and Charles’s Good Time Drinkery. What’s going on with the Rivermarket District? It’s interesting that some places can thrive down there and others can’t.  Look at Willie D’s, Sticky’s Rock and Roll Chicken Shack, the Rev Room, Flying Saucer, Big Whiskey’s, Flying Fish, Cache, Dizzy’s and Duggan’s (I’m sure I have left out others) have been down there forever but these new guys can’t make it a year or two. 

Here's an article from Rock City Eats discussing possible reasons

https://www.rock.city/what-is-really-going-on-with-the-river-market-restaurant-scene/

[Architect]

18 minutes ago, MDC26 said:

Here's an article from Rock City Eats discussing possible reasons

https://www.rock.city/what-is-really-going-on-with-the-river-market-restaurant-scene/

Two out-of-sync venues catering to a non-existent college demographic with sub-par service close, and all of a sudden we have an existential crisis about the River Market.  Maybe that's a bit harsh, but I do agree that the RM has to mature over time and find its footing given the change in the market over the past 25+ years.  When it opened, it didn't have SOMA, or Main, or Argenta or East Village as competition!

Moses Tucker has already leased the Library space for what I believe they stated was an exciting new concept.  We'll see.

[ecity3138]

According to Arkansas Times, a Mexican restaurant name La Chingada is coming to the former Library Kitchen and Lounge space in the Rivermarket District. While the name sounds odd, I think it’s interesting to see a Mexican restaurant across from another Mexican restaurant, Diablos Tacos & Mezcaleria. I was hoping another business would open in that spot that would be a big draw to the area rather than another typical Mexican restaurant that would hardly draw any visitors or locals to the area.
 

https://arktimes.com/eat-arkansas/2023/08/21/la-chingada-opening-in-the-river-market-in-former-space-occupied-by-the-library-kitchen-lounge?fbclid=IwAR2v6OICq7YjEUsGEJ9Ou8rwvmgkeWy0lYwOui28RJoUJHEiHGO7VwH89rs_aem_AdhNDdY5RCXJOHDvhf1En8dXxgGGkJUIpNEOq5h3OgpYnsxk9xPyJyGw6_JD_ZoHRp8

 

 

[skirby]

47 minutes ago, ecity3138 said:

According to Arkansas Times, a Mexican restaurant name La Chingada is coming to the former Library Kitchen and Lounge space in the Rivermarket District. While the name sounds odd, I think it’s interesting to see a Mexican restaurant across from another Mexican restaurant, Diablos Tacos & Mezcaleria. I was hoping another business would open in that spot that would be a big draw to the area rather than another typical Mexican restaurant that would hardly draw any visitors or locals to the area.
 

https://arktimes.com/eat-arkansas/2023/08/21/la-chingada-opening-in-the-river-market-in-former-space-occupied-by-the-library-kitchen-lounge?fbclid=IwAR2v6OICq7YjEUsGEJ9Ou8rwvmgkeWy0lYwOui28RJoUJHEiHGO7VwH89rs_aem_AdhNDdY5RCXJOHDvhf1En8dXxgGGkJUIpNEOq5h3OgpYnsxk9xPyJyGw6_JD_ZoHRp8

 

 

I wish it would have been  Tex-Mex along the lines of  Mi Cocina in the Dallas area or Cafe Del Rio in Lufkin, TX. 

[Architect]

4 hours ago, skirby said:

I wish it would have been  Tex-Mex along the lines of  Mi Cocina in the Dallas area or Cafe Del Rio in Lufkin, TX. 

Yeah, not super excited about this...

[skirby]

A new look for the Main Library, to be open in 2025.

Rendering from Polk Stanley Wilcox.