With an anchor of Heifer International, Shall Avenue and other parts in the primarily industrial neighborhood east of Interstate 30 is headed toward a renaissance. Loft-style apartments, a restaurant, brewery and headquarters for a local architecture firm are all in the works.
Two big entities on I-30's east side were the starting points for redevelopment in that area of downtown Little Rock - Rocktown Distillery and Lost Forty Brewing.
Rocktown set up shop back in 2010, boasting themselves as the state's first legal distillery since prohibition ended in Arkansas. The liquor and alcohol manufacturer began giving tours of their facility, which helped begin to draw people to the east side of I-30.
John Beachboard continued with the theme of alcohol in his venture to create Lost Forty Brewing. Beachboard and Yellow Rocket Concepts were the first to bring food and beer to the east side of I-30.
"We needed a spot that was both industrial and a place that people would want to come down to," said Beachboard.
Lost Forty celebrated its first anniversary in late 2015. Their restaurant and bar has proven to be successful, able to bring people to an area of Little Rock several block from any form of entertainment.
The success at Lost Forty spawned the idea for another brewery on the east side of the interstate. Rebel Kettle Brewing bought an old heating & cooling company's building at the corner of 6th Street and Collins Street. The bar and brewery, complete with kitchen and large outdoor patio space is expected to open as early as March.
"We're opening with 16 beers, which is more than anybody in the state," said Matt Morgan, co-owner of Rebel Kettle Brewing. "We're going to offer a fantastic menu - we're going to be a destination spot."
The old Sterling Paint factory at 6th Street & Shall Avenue was recently purchased by Cromwell Architects and Moses Tucker Real Estate to develop into loft-style apartments, a restaurant and ground level offices for the Cromwell firm.
"You just have raw, rough space that can be repurposed for just about anything," said Dan Fowler, director of finance and business development for Cromwell.
Fowler said the ground level will also house their planned restaurant space, which envisions using the existing loading docks as outdoor seating space for any future culinary venture.
The apartments, Fowler said, will be on the second floor of the building. One and two bedroom apartments will be available, ranging from 800-1200 square feet each.
"Our vision really is to keep as much of that industrial, gritty feel as we possibly can," said Fowler. "That's what makes this neighborhood and this area so wonderful."
Gabe Holmstrom, executive director of the Downtown Little Rock Partnership said the area east of I-30 is the next frontier in downtown Little Rock development.
"It's really exciting the future potential that area holds," said Holmstrom.
Holmstrom said part of the draw to the area seems to be the endless supply of abandoned buildings that can be repurposed. He also anticipates new construction to eventually come to the area as well, with several vacant lots - even vacant blocks in the neighborhood east of I-30.
The same area Cromwell plans on going into is also right near the site of the future E-Stem Public Charter School Elementary campus - just a block south of Heifer International.
You can view the report by KUAR content partner KATV, Channel 7 News here.