The lives of downtowns are cyclical. They will have a heyday for several years, then fall into disrepair until a few energetic people decide to bring them back to life. The downtowns of Conway, North Little Rock and Little Rock all have gone through these cycles and because of the efforts of a few dedicated residents, are all now once again becoming the lifeblood of the city. These behind-the-scenes workers include everyone from heads of nonprofit organizations dedicated to revitalization and commercial developers to business owners and patrons. Allow us to introduce you to the players who are making area downtowns successful:
Rosemary Hamel
Title: Former executive director of Argenta Community Development Corp.
Known for: Working to revitalize downtown North Little Rock since 1991.
Her story: Hamel was the first director of the Argenta CDC in the mid-1990s when downtown North Little Rock was unsafe and infested with slum lords. She worked with other development groups using federal funding to rehabilitate houses block by block to encourage people to live in them.
"It was truly amazing. I called them the first pioneers who wanted to buy those homes," she said. The houses were subsidized and if one cost $60,000 to rehab, the buyer could purchase it for $45,000, Hamel said.
About 10 years of work went into the Argenta district before the market started working on its own.
"Approximately four years ago, we didn't need to do any more work downtown. People were buying and rehabilitating their own homes," she said.
Hamel believes the key to North Little Rock's restoration was attracting people to settle there.
"I don't think it would've worked quite as well, for some reason, if you'd developed downtown, and then people started moving in," she said.
Today, the office building of the Argenta CDC's HomeOwnership Center carries Hamel's name. Formerly the Ellis building, the owners of the property named it after Hamel before she retired.
Sharon Priest
Title: Executive director of the Downtown Little Rock Partnership
Known for: Working to attract business and residents to downtown Little Rock
Her story: The downtown partnership is a nonprofit group working to promote Little Rock in the world of tourism and business.
To do that, Priest says the little things make the difference - like landscaping and parks. She's working on a Heritage Museum trail to connect the River Market to the MacArthur Park district. "With more people living downtown, [having] quality open spaces becomes more and more important," she said.
But perhaps Priest's most important concern is safety.
"I'd love to see the bicycle patrol back down here," she said. "It makes a huge difference in terms of what's happening. And the level of comfort people have."
She's also working to bring residents and business owners back to the heart of the city.
"I want to see housing priced so that single people can live downtown. Or young married couples with children. Because downtown has all the neighborhood amenities."
Priest tries to match entrepreneurs with their needs and place them in a good location downtown.
"People walk in off the street and say, 'What's happening downtown? Why should I invest here?'" she said. "Or 'I'm looking to move my business. These are my needs. Can you find something for me?'"
Rett Tucker and Jimmy Moses
Title: Co-owners of Moses Tucker Real Estate
Their story: Rett Tucker and his business partner have been instrumental in bringing new life to Little Rock's River Market area over the past 20 years.
"Ten years ago, it really didn't exist. It was an old, dilapidated warehouse area," Tucker said. "Little Rock really turned its back on the river for most of the 20th century."
Moses and Tucker began bringing life back into the area in the late '90s, starting with a few main attractions.
"Once the institutional anchors were committed: The Museum of Discovery, the Farmer's Market, the Main Branch of the public library, and the expanded convention center, the restaurants and bars started filling in," he said. "In 1997, President Clinton committed to building his library downtown."
In the residential arena, the duo opened the Tuf-Nut Lofts in 1999.
"That was the first development of any kind south of the freeway ramp. It was kind of a no-man's land on that side," Tucker said.
The Capitol Commerce Center, with 16 condos, opened in 2002, followed by the First Security Center with a Mariott Courtyard - "The first new hotel in downtown Little Rock in over 20 years," he said.
When the building's 24 condos sold, Moses Tucker began work on the 300 Third Tower. Completed in April, the condominium is 90 percent sold, Tucker said.
"There's a lot of history and charm and cultural amenities downtown," Tucker said. We just think it's a neighborhood that's critical to the health of the city."
On the horizon is River Market Place, which includes a new hotel and River Market Tower with 137 condos. "We're trying to build a neighborhood that will be here 100 years from now."
Mike Coats and Mike Kraft
Title: Co-owners and management partners for Limestone Partners, LLC
Their story: Conway's downtown wouldn't be the same without Mike's Place, and as co-owner, Mike Coats has seen the city change since graduating from the University of Central Arkansas in the '70s.
"Conway was a town that was so overripe and ready for changes," he said.
The city was never really dry, he said, there were always country clubs. "If you had a certain amount of income, you could get a drink," he said.
Because the city was lacking in certain amenities, like sophisticated restaurants and places to court businessmen: "Many companies got to the point where they were starting to deselect Conway."
"The first question [businessmen] asked was 'Show me your downtown,'" he said. "The downtown often shows the heart, center and soul of your city."
Coats said Conway's downtown was viable in the '50s, but by the '70s it was pretty much defunct. "It probably had its heyday in the '40s, then the county became dry and that's when downtown started its slow demise ... but did kind of keep a central core of business."
Today, Coats and Kraft are working to keep adding "eclectic dining and destinations" to Conway. They are working on a new Italian restaurant that will have a rooftop area for weddings, banquets and conferences, which should be ready in mid-January.
But he knows an outdoor venue will be at the mercy of Arkansas' weather.
"It'll be good about 100 days a year. We just don't know which 100," he said.
Coats expects more growth in the next few years.
"We feel the best things for Conway are ahead of it," he said. "Five years from now, downtown will look completely different."
Eric Ellis
Title: Eric the Trivia Guy by night. Pro audio salesman by day.
His story: Three years ago, Eric Ellis, a friend of Flying Saucer's manager, was asked to try his hand at running the bar's fledgling Trivia Night.
"Tuesday night was the day they picked. They had tried some other promotions on Tuesday but nothing had really clicked," Ellis said.
One might expect a downtown bar to be packed on a Thursday or Friday night, but Tuesday is usually a bit slow for most late-night drinking spots - especially "round-about 8:30" when trivia starts.
"At first, [customers were] like 'What are they doing?'" Ellis said. But today, trivia buffs regularly flock to the bar to test their capacity for minutiae.
"It's definitely progressed to be a good night for the Saucer," he said. "It's kind of funny, but when trivia is done, it pretty quickly clears out. It's not necessarily good for them, but it's amusing to me."
Ellis gets his inspiration for his trivia questions from many different places.
"Some I get straight out of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette; or everything from Trivial Pursuit or sometimes I'll just think of something and say, 'Hey, I oughta look into that.'"
But he doesn't take the job too seriously and tries to make it fun.
"I think that kind of translates. People get that. There are people who turn out every week, but I'm just there to have a good time.
Outside of Tuesday nights, Ellis said he doesn't spend much time downtown - even as the lead guitarist and keyboardist for the band Mr. Happy - but he does understand the draw.
"It's developed over the last several years because you have so many options in one place," he said. "We've got the downtown vibe."
Paul Prater, Maria Sventek and Erica Nordin
Title: Nightlife enthusiasts and economic contributors
Their story: These three can be found in the River Market once or twice a week - usually having a drink after their day at Hosto Buchan Prater and Lawrence law firm.
"Maybe three times a week, depending on what kind of week I'm having," Sventek said.
The three of them have been regulars on the downtown scene for the past seven years and have seen the face of the district change.
"In 1997, there was no downtown here. You pretty much avoided the River Market," Prater said. "There were about three bars down here."
Today the three of them agree that the River Market area is undeniably the place to be.
They are drawn to "the live music and happy hour atmosphere. We come down here after work to unwind," said Nordin.
"When I was younger, I would only go to Sticky Fingerz, but now there's sporty places like Gusano's and the piano bars. It's just opened so much," Sventek said.
The three of them spend anywhere from $30 to $40 a week at various establishments downtown - mostly on beer.
Prater, who participated with Sventek in the recent Full Moon Horror Fest Zombie Walk in downtown, said he's a fixture in the River Market because of the crowds and the beverages.
"There's good beer and lots of people."