Because I happen to be cheap, lazy and an intermittent technophobe, I only sometimes have a cell phone. I know. I should have a cell phone. Six-year-olds have cell phones. I understand.
But sometimes this condition works in my favor. The other day I was meeting a friend for lunch at Starving Artist Cafe in downtown North Little Rock. I arrived a little bit early and had some time to kill. The restaurant is diverting enough, what with all the local art on the walls. I could have easily spent the entire afternoon there, but I was starting to get nervous. While I didn’t have a cell phone, I did have a laptop and I wanted to check my e-mail messages. I hadn’t touched base with my lunch date. I thought I had the right time and date, but I wanted to be sure.
The very nice hostess at Starving Artist — which was starting to fill up with a lunch crowd — directed me down the street to a new coffee shop she said had Wi-Fi. And so I set off down a few blocks.
Now everybody knows how the Argenta neighborhood, as it is called, has undergone a radical transformation in the last several years. It’s one thing to know about this change, and another thing entirely to walk down the block past lively art galleries, the Argenta Community Theatre and a variety of shops, like quirky Galaxy Furniture. It’s a highly diverting, civilized walk.
It is also very easy while marveling at all the activity of downtown North Little Rock to remember what it was like in the early ‘90s on both sides of the river. It’s easy to recall what it was like when the national press descended on Arkansas because our governor was running for president. The press of course couldn’t hold back the snide comments about the bleak nature of downtown. At that time, I worked downtown and the comments were only too true. Even during the middle of a busy workweek, the streets could look all but abandoned.
Eventually I found the coffee shop, The Joint, which has to be one of the most ambitious of downtown North Little Rock’s new ventures. During the day, The Joint sells coffee, sandwiches and more. At night, The Joint hosts live improv comedy theater. A flier also mentioned that The Joint was going to show silent movies a couple of nights a week.
It’s pretty clear not every gallery or business that has set up shop in Argenta is going to thrive and last. But, right now, Argenta is hoppin’. The best way to see it in action is during the weekly performances of Tales from the South at Starving Artist Cafe. The taping of live storytelling for public radio shows off Argenta in the best light.
I walked back to Starving Artist Cafe, which was now in full-blown lunch mode. My lunch date never showed up, but it wasn’t a disappointing trip. See, I bet a 6-year-old stuck on a cell phone wouldn’t have felt that way.