Exactly one year ago, the Murphy Arts District was in the middle of their multi-day grand opening celebration, which included MusicFest XXX.
Over the past year, MAD has hosted numerous shows and events, ranging from A-list musicians to acrobats, Broadway plays, comedians and many more.
They also hold weekly attractions including the farmer’s market on Wednesdays and Sundays, and Thursday Night Live, as well as opening the MAD Playscape, open seven days a week.
MAD’s President and CEO Austin Barrow said he believes the district has had a positive impact on El Dorado in the past year.
“For the city as a whole, I think (MAD) has given us all something really fun to be able to talk about and something that we can all be proud of,” Barrow said. “I think from a business perspective, I would hope and I would surmise that it has had a positive impact on a large portion of the businesses. Not just hospitality businesses, but other businesses as well with the influx of people that have been coming in to town on a more regular basis.”
MAD was named Event of the Year in February during the Arkansas Festivals and Events Association Conference and Trade Show for its five-day grand opening affair.
In March, MAD was awarded the Natural State Award as part of the Henry Awards, presented at the Arkansas Governor’s Annual Tourism Conference. The Natural State Award is presented annually to a community, organization, special event or attraction that “stands out in the crowd” because of its unique appeal, media coverage, creative approach and/or enhancement of community pride, thus benefiting the state’s quality of life.
On the path to Phase II
Looking forward, Barrow said continuing MAD’s success will have a lot to do with getting phase II “up and running.”
“We’ve got some event-based things, some performance-based things we’re looking at for next year, but I think also just getting Phase II going is going to be a huge help to us in trying to keep people interested that are beyond 50 miles from El Dorado,” Barrow said. “Of course, announcing really cool artists that come on a regular basis doesn’t hurt either.”
Barrow said MAD’s goal is to have phase I wrapped up by the end of 2018, which includes finalizing paperwork and the financials, “so we can begin to concentrate on a timeline for the second phase.”
“So far, we’re on the path to get that done,” he added.
Phase II will include the renovation of the Rialto Theater and the McWilliams furniture building, which will be turned into an art exhibition gallery.
MAD’s Chief Marketing Officer, Bob Tarren, said the facility has around 200 employees, including part-time and full-time workers. Barrow said their turnover rate is “not anything higher than you would expect at any other hospitality business.”
“We’ve had assistant managers that have moved up and taken larger roles within the company,” Barrow said. “I think that hospitality, as a career for anyone other than the person that owns the business, has never really been considered here, and this facility has really made that a possibility to a lot of people.”
Barrow said Thursday Night Live at the Griffin Restaurant averages about 120 people every week. He said some Thursdays the restaurant has over 200 people attending the shows.
“It’s probably our most popular thing that we do,” he said. “That has to do with consistency.”
Barrow added that while the restaurant does take reservations for that night, they still have spots available at their bar and in the lounge area that do not require a reservation.
Barrow said one hurdle MAD has faced are event-goers expecting lower ticket prices than other major venues in the country. He said those low ticket prices have only been sustainable by an immense amount of sponsorship through large corporate donors and a significantly heavy amount of volunteers.
When it comes to ticket prices for concerts, held at the Griffin Music Hall or the Amphitheater, Barrow said he is trying to get them to a place where they “break even.”
“We don’t charge nearly enough for a concert,” he said. “If you would have gone to that same Hank Williams Jr. concert that was almost 300 miles away, the tickets are worth three times the cost. To be able to get as close to the artist as they can during a show for the price point that we have it at right now, you’re not gong to find that anywhere else in the country … and it is, quite frankly, also unsustainable, so it’s not going to last forever.”
Barrow also said they are constantly trying to improve their concerts with feedback from the community.
One thing they are going to be adding next year are seats for shows at the amphitheater.
“There will be more than 1,000 nice folding seats,” Tarren added.
Barrow also said one complaint they heard after hosting the Hank Williams Jr. concert were the concession stand lines being too long.
“We listened to that and when we did Rascal Flats, I think we almost completely eliminated that problem,” he added.
Barrow said that MAD has about 1,000 members signed up with their membership program. Tarren added that number represents each account, with some accounts having multiple people on them.
“So I think that the total number of people in our membership systems is about 3,400,” Tarren added.
Tarren said MAD’s purpose is to lift all of El Dorado and southern Arkansas. He gave an example, noting that for this year’s MusicFest, there are people traveling to El Dorado from 15 different states.
“We want people to come to El Dorado with money in their pockets,” Tarren said. “They come and they see a band playing at MAD, but they stay in a hotel, they go to the square, spend some money in one of the stores … That is economic development because all of those dollars are multipliers and we know that we’re just a little piece in that ecosystem.”
‘Our bottom line is improving steadily’
Tarren said that in the past year, there has been a 5000 percent increase, year over year, in inquires of individuals or businesses looking to relocate to El Dorado.
President and CEO of the El Dorado-Union County Chamber of Commerce, Mike Dumas, said the chamber has seen an increase in the number of businesses seeking more information about El Dorado and Union County in the past year in regards to opening up a business.
“This is the most activity at the Chamber by outside businesses seeking additional information,” Dumas added.
El Dorado Mayor Frank Hash said El Dorado is “the talk of the state.”
“I go to all kinds of gatherings outside of El Dorado and they’re all excited about MAD,” Hash said.
Hash added that El Dorado’s sales tax is up around 10 percent for the last six to eight months.
“That’s about the biggest thing I could attribute that to,” he said, referring to MAD. “Our bottom line is improving steadily.”
At the Economic Outlook Luncheon in September, Tarren said that local hotel receipts are up 6 percent, year over year.
Jenann Pearson, general manager of Hampton Inn El Dorado, said they have seen an increase of booked rooms on the weekends.
“We are already booked for MusicFest this year, so yes, it has had an impact,” Pearson said.
Richard Mason, owner of the Union Square Guest Quarters, also said they were already fully booked for all of MusicFest. Mason added that they have seen an increase in booked rooms since MAD opened, “especially when there are feature attractions at the amphitheater.”
Barrow said that for their second year, in addition to more concerts that will be held at MAD, they are looking at some big changes in the restaurant that will be announced at a later date.
‘It’s got to grow’
Downtown business owners say MAD has been a mixed bag with positive, negative and neutral effects.
“It’s probably been neutral to slightly positive,” said Donnie Clayton, owner of Main Street Pizza. He added that during some of the bigger-name concerts, he does get business from out-of-towners, but he loses regulars since they don’t want to fight for parking downtown.
Taylor Thomas, owner of Underground Sound, a new downtown business, said he decided to open up shop downtown, in part, because of MAD. He said he hasn’t seen much of an impact from MAD on his business so far, but added that he thinks it’s up to businesses themselves to “be more creative and innovative.”
“We need to be looking at ourselves to bring the art, community, culture,” he said, adding that he thinks the artistic direction MAD is pushing the city in should spread downtown more and focus more on local art.
“Public local art is something we need to push to drive home the cultural aspect. … “[We don’t want to be] trying to import culture rather than trying to foster grassroots local culture,” he said.
One business owner said he has taken a financial hit since MAD opened and MusicFest moved away from downtown.
“Now we have to depend on what they’re doing over there,” he said. “It only helps when it’s big concerts.”
He said it has also been difficult to capitalize on some of the traffic MAD has driven downtown since so many businesses close around 5 p.m.
“You get off at 5, everything’s closed,” he said. “Unless you go downtown to eat or drink, what else are you going to do?”
Rhonda Hicks, owner of Backwoods Art and Frame, said she can’t determine whether it has helped her business or not. She said she has made an effort to stay open for more hours than she previously did on Saturdays. She said last year’s MusicFest was a great day for her business, but that that day’s success hasn’t replicated itself since, though she does still have high hopes for the project.
“It’s got to grow. It’s not even a year old,” she said. “Somewhere along the line, we’re going to work out those kinks.”
She said MAD was a good fit for El Dorado because of the incredible talent in the town. She said she thinks if everyone works together, everyone can benefit from the arts district.
Baggio Mati, owner of LaPiazza Ristorante Italiano, said he didn’t feel strongly one way or the other about MAD, however he did question when Phase II of the project would begin.
“When are they opening [the Rialto]? Because my hair is getting long waiting,” he said.
Laura Barrow, owner of Spa on Main and spouse to MAD President and CEO Austin Barrow, said she has been incredibly impressed with MAD’s first year in operation. She said she has seen a measurable positive impact, both financially and culturally.
“Last year was the most profitable year we’ve had yet and this year looks like it’s going to be even more profitable,” she said.
She said she thinks a lot of new businesses in El Dorado have opened because of MAD, mentioning Underground Sound and a gastropub she expects to open up shop soon. She is an El Dorado native, she said, who moved back to town to help foster some of the creative growth the town has undergone lately.
“It’s changed a little bit of the vibe downtown,” she said. “It does make people have a creative energy, juices get flowing.”
She expressed disappointment in some negativity and lack of participation she’s seen regarding MAD, but said she thinks if there was more involvement at the arts district, people’s minds would change.
“I know when people come to visit … they kind of get blown away [by MAD,]” she said, adding that she is “really happy with the way it’s going.”
Caitlan Butler can be reached at 870-862-6611 or [email protected].
Kaitlyn Rigdon can be reached at 870-862-6611 or [email protected].