Some think of it as post-holiday malaise, some think of it as a clean slate, but either way you look at it, January is always a bit of an odd month as crammed social calendars suddenly vanish at the stroke of midnight.
We tend to fall into the glass-half-full category, keeping our sights set on all sorts of opportunities to fill our pages with. Here’s some of what we’re most excited about for 2023.
The Arts
If you’re reading this, you’ve no doubt seen our stunning January cover featuring Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts Executive Director Victoria Ramirez. We’re counting the days until the April opening (as are art and architecture lovers around the world), and highly recommend reading up on the 133,000-square-foot project.
But in the short term, many local art institutions are still turning out productions this month, including the touring comedy musical “Tootsie” at the Robinson Center Jan. 13-15 and the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra show featuring Prokofiev’s “Romeo & Juliet” and Beethoven’s “Lenore Overture” on Jan. 28-29.
Shopping Local
Nope, we’ll never get tired of sharing and supporting the businesses that call Little Rock home and make it what it is. One of my favorite sections runs in the January issue each year, our Soirée Recommends Platinum Service Awards, which highlights the city’s best of the best — art consultant, bakery, optometrist, you name it — chosen not by us, but by our readers.
And for a shopping self-care moment, check out some luscious skin care products here.
New Flavors
Variety, as they say, is the spice of life, and our local food scene takes that quite literally. The ever-evolving lineup has gotten even more tasty in recent weeks with new brick-and-mortar locations for Tamalcalli, Count Porkula and others, as well as Argenta’s new Blackberry Market. One of the most exciting upcoming projects? The reimagining of Breckenridge Village reportedly set to bring in new locations for The Root Cafe, Deluca’s Pizza, Flyway Brewing Co. and Waldo’s Chicken & Beer.
Hungry now? Make Sara Hurst’s quinoa bowl.
Read on: South on Main Closes, The Bagel Shop Opens & More Foodie News
More Fun, More Heart
As always, the most important thing we do is to share the stories and amplify the voices of nonprofits, individuals and organizations working tirelessly to make Little Rock better in a variety of ways. I can’t wait to bring more of those stories to you, and to balance it all with a mix of fashion, food and weekend fun. If you don’t get our daily enewsletter with online exclusive content sign up at littlerocksoiree.com/enews, and if you have a story to share, drop me a line at jardrey@abpg.com.
Cheers to 2023!