BENTONVILLE — The downtown square will look a little different this spring when renovation to the Walmart Visitor Center is complete.
The center has been housed in a temporary space on West Central Avenue since closing the permanent location for renovation June 7. The permanent space is at 105 Main St., the site of Sam Walton’s first 5-10 store.
Renovation is expected to be finished in the spring.
“The whole downtown is going to change,” said Alan Dranow, Walmart’s director of brand communication.
The renovation includes interactive displays to give a hands-on museum experience, a cafe and more museum space, Dranow said.
Heidi Stewart of Bentonville watched workers paint and work on the sidewalks in front of the center while her daughters played on the square Friday.
“I am excited,” Stewart said. “This is one of our favorite places to bring people when they come to Bentonville.”
Stewart said she enjoys walking through the center and learning about Walmart’s history.
“It is one of those places where you can spend as much time as you want or as little time as you want,” Stewart said.
The replica of Sam Walton’s office will be reconstructed with a technological update. Visitors will be able to touch a screen and virtually pick up some of the items on Walton’s desk, including a football autographed by former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka, Walton’s briefcase and his baseball cap, Dranow said.
Each of the items also has a small video to explain their importance.
A timeline of Walmart history with memorabilia will be arranged in a horseshoe shape that will begin in an old 5-10 store and end in the newest addition to the downtown square — The Spark Cafe, Dranow said.
“Downtown Bentonville and the square was in need of a place where visitors could stop and take a break,” Dranow said.
The Main Street sidewalks in front of the center will be widened 7 feet to provide space for tables and chairs so visitors can eat outside on the square, Dranow said.
The cafe will have a variety of dessert pastries named after important Walmart figures and other snacks and drinks, Dranow said.
The center will help invigorate the square once it opens, Dranow said.
“The Five and Dime is going to be an active store,” Dranow said. “We’re going to change out the products. We’re going to change out our windows. It is going to be a fun place to come. We have some special things up our sleeves.”
Beth Cook of Bentonville agrees. She owns B La Rue, a boutique on the square.
“The Visitor Center is going to be just awesome,” Cook said, calling it a destination point.
Cook said she believes the center’s renovation is just the beginning of a total revitalization of the square.
“People are going to have even more reasons to come downtown,” Cook said.
Around 65,000 people visit the center each year. Dranow said he expects that number will increase with the newly renovated space.