Crystal Bridges’ Benefits Beyond Museum

Oscar Garcia grills fish in the kitchen Friday during lunch at the Flying Fish restaurant in downtown Bentonville.
Oscar Garcia grills fish in the kitchen Friday during lunch at the Flying Fish restaurant in downtown Bentonville.

— When the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art opened its doors a year ago, expectations ran high that the world-class museum would boost the area’s economy.

Leaders predicted a direct benefit from the thousands of people lured to the area to visit the museum, and indirect help stimulating growth in other arts-related activities and business that both support and feed off the museum’s human traffic.

Kalene Griffith, president and chief executive officer of the Bentonville Convention & Visitors Bureau, said last year people were waiting to see the impact of Crystal Bridges, saying “we’re going to be a different community in a year.” Now Griffith says, reality has eclipsed imagination.

“They were predicting the museum might attract 300,000 in its first year. We’re now close to 600,000 with still another month to go,” she said.

Griffith said Crystal Bridges has become an integral part of her work in promoting Bentonville as a tourism and convention destination.

“The national and international exposure has also exceeded our expectations,” she said. “I knew people would be talking about it but we’re getting phone calls from all over the world. When we’re at trade shows people are talking about Crystal Bridges. People in the industry are asking about it.”

Griffith said Crystal Bridges has turned Bentonville into the center of a network of travel and tourism plans for people who might never have come to the area before.

“It’s like a hub and spokes,” she said. “People come here and travel to Tulsa, Little Rock or Kansas City. They come here for Crystal Bridges and they may go to Kansas City to Nelson-Atkins. A lot of people are going to Eureka Springs. They love that quaint, arts-driven community. We’ve even had people interested in Memphis, although that’s a little farther than most people want to go for a day.”

Mike Bishop, president and CEO of the Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce, says he has seen a surge in interest in that city because of the Bentonville museum.

“It has had a positive impact,” Bishop said. “We have people who are calling and saying, ‘We are coming to Crystal Bridges. How close are you?’’’ As a staff we have talked about it. It has been a boost to us.”

Peter Lane, president and CEO of the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville, says the museum has helped the entire region.

“Crystal Bridges adds so much to the cultural fabric of our community,” Lane said. “Over the past year, the museum has drawn national attention to Northwest Arkansas, putting our region on the map as an arts destination.”

Lane said the Walton Arts Center and Crystal Bridges have developed a good working relationship, one he hopes will continue to grow.

“We are grateful for the education and programming partnerships that we have developed with Crystal Bridges that have enabled us to make the arts accessible to even more people,” Lane said. “With our plans for an expanded facility in Fayetteville and a new theater in Bentonville, we look forward to more opportunities to work with Crystal Bridges to continue making Northwest Arkansas a great place to live.”

Bentonville Mayor Bob McCaslin said he’s certain Crystal Bridges can be credited with boosting Bentonville. He said the city’s sales tax revenue has been up and activity on the downtown square has visibly increased.

“We can’t identify those upticks as being directly attributable to Crystal Bridges, but intuitively I believe it has had an impact,” McCaslin said.

McCaslin said a year ago the city’s role was more of a facilitator of growth than a jobs creator on its own. He said the city’s work on the square, from lighting to landscaping, and improvements to streets and parks add to museum visitors’ experiences.

The aesthetics of downtown Bentonville has been a boost to some new businesses as well. Bea Apple, who opened The Pressroom with her husband, Rob Apple, just before Crystal Bridges made its debut, said she’s seen changes in the year and expects that change and growth to continue.

“Business-wise, it’s definitely been a good year for us, almost better than I expected,” Apple said. “I feel like we’ve really become like an institution downtown.”

Apple, who lives a few blocks away from The Pressroom on Central Avenue, said downtown Bentonville is still evolving.

“Downtown has definitely become more of a destination, as opposed to an afterthought,” she said. “There’s a whole range of things to do.”

Apple said the growth of businesses in the area should help and she doesn’t see other establishments as competition.

“I think everybody is doing something different,” she said, “They all have a different vibe and a different type of vision. I think a rising tide is lifting all of us. The more people who come into downtown, the more business there is for all of us.”

Apple said she has lived and worked in bigger cities and she sees Bentonville taking on some of the better qualities of revitalized downtowns elsewhere.At A Glance

About The Museum

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art was founded in 2005 by Alice Walton, chairwoman of the Board of Directors. The museum takes its name from nearby Crystal Spring and the bridge construction incorporated in the building design by world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie. A series of pavilions nestled around two creek-fed ponds house galleries, meeting and classroom spaces, and a large, glass-enclosed gathering hall.

Source: crystalbridges.org

At A Glance

About The Museum

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art was founded in 2005 by Alice Walton, chairwoman of the Board of Directors. The museum takes its name from nearby Crystal Spring and the bridge construction incorporated in the building design by world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie. A series of pavilions nestled around two creek-fed ponds house galleries, meeting and classroom spaces, and a large, glass-enclosed gathering hall.

Source: crystalbridges.org

“Reviving downtown was a trend that started in bigger cities and it’s happening here,” she said. “I don’t think it’s going away. What’s here is more sustainable than everybody spreading out. The more we can attract downtown, the better it will be.”

Tom Ginn, vice president of economic development at the Bentonville/Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce, said activity in downtown Bentonville has increased visibly since Crystal Bridges opened, with more new businesses planned.

“It couldn’t be better,” Ginn said. “A lot of things are being built up. We were given a hard-hat tour of the 21c hotel a few days ago, that’s gong to be fantastic. The continued downtown development and the general feel of things happening give the area a very positive feel that spurs economic growth in the area.”

Ginn said Crystal Bridges should continue to be a positive factor for economic growth, as was expected a year ago.

“It’s on the map now,” he said. “It is recognized now. I think perception and reality are about the same here now.”

The museum has spurred additional development in Bentonville such as the planned Northwest Arkansas Children’s Museum and an incoming Walton Arts Center expansion. A redevelopment of the Midtown Shopping Center will further the urban feel of downtown with a three-story, mixed-use building anchored by a Walmart Neighborhood Market. The project also will bring much-needed parking to the downtown area with a planned parking deck.

Raymond Burns with the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce said Crystal Bridges has benefited a wider area than just downtown Bentonville.

“It’s a tremendous gift to the region, the state and the nation,” Burns said of the museum. “In and of itself, it’s created a lot of jobs and it’s helping to create jobs. It’s attracting people who stay in our hotels, eat in our restaurants and visit our other attractions. All of those numbers are up significantly. We’ve had a large number of conventions this year and Crystal Bridges has helped with that. There’s nothing else like it in the world.”

Shannon Wynne also credits Crystal Bridges for the success of his downtown Bentonville venture, the Flying Fish Restaurant, a catfish and seafood restaurant that opened in March. Wynne, who has several Flying Fish franchises in other cities, said he was interested in Arkansas, having opened a restaurant in Little Rock. When Alice Walton, the patron and driving force behind Crystal Bridges, encouraged him to take a look at Bentonville, he said last year, he liked the potential he saw. With several months of actual experience to draw on, Wynne said he’s not been disappointed.

“It’s doing fine,” he said of the Bentonville location on Northwest Second Street. “The initial rush to see it for the first time has waned a little. It’s not a 60-person line anymore but it’s still a 30-person line.”

Wynne said he’s been in Bentonville regularly and is pleased with the response from the community.

“We still see a lot of new faces,” he said. “The market is fairly deep. When you’re in a tight community, word travels fast. We’ve worked hard to make sure people are happy or if they’re unhappy they’re able to speak to a manager right on the scene. Everybody has had different life experiences and everybody has different expectations.”

Wynne said he expects downtown Bentonville to continue growing and that growth should benefit his business and others.

“I think the best is yet to be seen because Bentonville is growing so much,” Wynne said. “As people learn how to get to downtown it’ll get better and better.”

When the 21c Museum Hotel opens, bringing more travelers to downtown Bentonville, Wynne said he expects another boost to the economy. Wynne gives Crystal Bridges much of the credit for the growth he’s seeing.

“Imagine the people, inside the community and outside, that have never been to Crystal Bridges,” he said. “That’s a deep, deep community. Crystal Bridges is becoming the ‘Holy Grail’ in the arts community. As more and more people realize that it will only get better.”

Misty Gittings contributed to this report.

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