2009 Holiday Open House

It's official- the holiday season has begun! Although it was a drizzly and dreary day, that didn't stop leagues of holiday shoppers from enjoying all that Main Street merchants had to offer. I know that I am certainly in the Christmas spirit after spending the afternoon visiting numerous downtown shops for this year's Holiday Open House event. Here are some highlights:

Always chic, always stylish- Amandromeda.

These joyful balloon creations from The Balloon Closet would make a delightful addition to any holiday gathering.

The Balloon Closet has expanded their inventory to include chocolates, salt water taffy, penny candy and the full line of Jelly Belly flavors. I personally am very excited about that news, as I'd been driving all the way to Tontitown for my Jelly Bellys!

Happy snowmen in the front window of Broadway Flowers.

More Christmas finery at Broadway Flowers.

The lovely front window of Curves, in their new location.

The charming front window of Four Corners Frame & Design.

Lydia, from Occasions, spreads some holiday cheer.

I love this Santa tree at Occasions!

The bakery case at The Cafe on Broadway, featuring a Pumpkin Marscapone Cake, topped with candied ginger. (They're open until 10:00 tonight if you need to try a piece- I'd highly recommend it.)

Cafe owner Carolyn Robinson, demonstrating a Bodum French Press. The cafe carries a wide array of coffee and tea products for your home.

A string quartet entertains relaxed cafe patrons with holiday music.

A delightful collection of tea pots, mugs and cream & sugar sets at the Cafe.

Let the festivities begin!

Weekend Update

Here's the gazebo in City Park, undergoing some restoration. According to the Herald Leader, the work is being done by Lowe's employees, and High School students of agriculture and mechanics. What a great project! It will be wonderful to see it completed.

Also, I wanted to provide a last minute reminder of the numerous events taking place this weekend. Here are some highlights:

First of all, the downtown Second Saturday tradition will continue on the 14th, with extended business hours and live music in the early evening in front of the old Post Office by Travis Cheney & friends.

Also on Saturday is the Siloam Springs Museum's 40th anniversary party, beginning at 2:00. View the 40th anniversary exhibit and also enjoy some birthday cake. The Rexall Rangers will be performing at the Sager Creek Arts Center at 6:30 p.m. for a fundraiser concert and western supper to benefit the Siloam Springs Museum. The concert and supper are being sponsored by CenturyLink. Cost is $12 for adults; $6 for children 12 and under. The Western Supper is being catered by Suzy's Dogwood Catering and includes: ham and beans, cornbread muffins, sliced tomatoes, onions, iced tea, coffee, water and peach cobbler with fresh whipped cream topping. No reservations are required. If you want additonal information, call the museum at: 479-524-4011 or email: cleessmuseum@centurytel.net

November 15th will herald the official Siloam Springs' Annual Holiday Open House event, with downtown businesses in full swing from 1-4. There are many establishments serving refreshments and offering discounts. I have to put in a special plug for The Cafe on Broadway, as I stopped by there this evening for a preview. I had the most amazing, delicious beverage EVER- the Pumpkin Pie Latte. Mine was iced with soy, and it was like Thanksgiving in a glass. I've long been a fan of fall coffee flavors- like Pumpkin Spice Lattes, but this was like nothing I've ever had before. The cafe is opening at noon on Sunday with their full menu, and there will be a string quartet playing Christmas music, beginning at 3:00. While I'm on the subject... have you heard the news that the Cafe on Broadway now serves their famous paninis all day long? This is big news!

Hope you'll be able to enjoy these great events.

Welcome to Emelia's!

Photo by Melanie Wilkins

The eagerly awaited day has arrived: Emelia's Kitchen is open for business! Monday evening was the official grand opening, with a fabulous party for a wide array of invited guests. There was a glorious buffet, and also musical entertainment. The elegantly appointed atmosphere, awash in the glow of candlelight provided an excellent venue for mingling, dancing and dining. Here are some highlights of the evening:

Downtown movers and shakers Ron Drake of DRC, Shelley Simmons of Main Street Siloam Springs, and Realtor Christina Drake, owner of Local Flair Art Gallery.

The evening's entertainer, Arthur Hervey. He was incredible! He is currently an entertainer at Harrah's Lake Tahoe, while also maintaining residency in Siloam Springs with his lovely wife Randy. I just visited his website, and I am completely amazed by his range of talent and experience. I mean, he has sung a duet with James Brown. Seriously! Now that he's local, I can only hope there will be more opportunities to check out his act.

The young lady in the green skirt also performed during the event. Her name is Alexis Wilkins, and she is a tremendously talented singer. She divides her time between Fayetteville and LA, where she attends the School of Rock. She is pictured with George Ouyoumjan, owner of Emelia's, and her mother, Melanie Wilkins. Talent certainly runs in their family, as Melanie took many of the lovely photos featured in this post. Many thanks again, Melanie!

Rachel Beck from the St. Francis Clinic and Quiznos owners Monica and Eliud Saldivar.

Photo by Melanie Wilkins

Photo by Melanie Wilkins

Photo by Melanie Wilkins

Photo by Melanie Wilkins

Photo by Melanie Wilkins

Mayor David Allen congratulating George Ouyoumjan and Sara Lusher, the owners of Emelias'.

Photo by Melanie Wilkins

Ron Drake and George overseeing the party.

Photo by Melanie Wilkins

Photo by Melanie Wilkins

Here is a group of satisfied revelers: Starting with Kathy Coleman (the woman in pink) and moving to the right, Sharon and Bob Wasson, Nancy and M.L. “Moose” Van Pouke, Sue Ellen and Jack Chase and Carla Wasson.

Emelia's Kitchen serves a wide variety of dishes, from aged Rib Eye ($28.99), Orange Roughy ($21.99), and Mediterranean Pasta ($21.99) to Falafels ($7.59), Gyros ($7.59), and their homemade Armenian Hummus ($6.99). They are open for lunch Tuesday-Friday from 11-2, dinner Tuesday -Thursday from 5-9, dinner Friday and Saturday from 5-10, and brunch on Saturday-Sunday from 9-2. They are located at the corner of University and Mt. Olive. Call 524-4411 for reservations and more information.

Happy Halloween!

I think we'd all agree that today's downtown Trick or Trick event was pretty awesome. The weather was absolutely perfect, and the games, music and attractions in Twin Springs Park (new this year) made for a really special event. And did you get a chance to meet downtown's new mascot, the Main Street Moose? He was passing out a super special treat-the Holiday 2009 coupon card, good for 10% off at each of a long list of downtown merchants. If you didn't get yours yet, you can get one at participating businesses. I used mine once already, at Books on Broadway. Fun!

I'll never forget my very first downtown Trick or Treat. It was in 2001, and I had just moved to a house near the downtown area. Although I didn't have any children at the time, I really wanted to stroll downtown to see what it was all about. I remember standing in the middle of the street, watching the line of happy families, and that year they were piping in music that sounded a bit Danny Elfman-ish. The overall effect made me feel like I was on a movie set, with the perfect small town scene being depicted. I loved it!

My second favorite downtown trick or treat year was 2004. I worked downtown at the time, and absolutely loved the chance to hand out candy. It was a blast seeing all of the great costumes and happy kids. I think we ran out of candy several times, and had to run to the store for more, but that was a really fun year.

More recently, I've thoroughly enjoyed taking my son trick or treating downtown. Thank you to all of the businesses that provide such an enjoyable and safe Halloween activity for the town year after year, and to the Main Street Organization for putting it on. Here are some fun moments from today:

The Red Door Market

Is it just me, or is there just something special about a red door?
There's certainly something special behind this red door. Downtown's newest establishment, The Red Door Market, opened it's freshly painted door this morning, on this blustery fall day.


The cozy shop sells an array of products, from snacks, chips, drinks and candy to gourmet Arkansas products, like jelly, jam, sorghum, salsa, syrup, fruit butters (sweet potato butter, anyone?), honey, pickled products and BBQ sauce. For example, there is Ozark Mountain Honey from Mt. View, House of Webster products from Rogers, Kirkland Family Foods all-fruit jams from Siloam Springs, organic War Eagle Mill products, and Post Familie grape and muscadine juice from Altus, to name a few. They'll also soon be selling a line of cheese straws and cookies from a family-owned business in Little Rock. In addition, employee Lana Hudson has a line of handmade aprons, in cheerful colors and patterns for adults and children.


With the holidays coming, my mind was spinning with all of the possibilities I saw for great hostess gifts or gift baskets. The Red Door staff would be happy to help you create a customized gourmet food basket for that lucky foodie in your life.


Chris Salley, the owner, is also the owner of the City Barber Shop right next door. Incidentally, he also helps to keep our town safe as a Siloam police officer. He really loves downtown (of course!) and enjoys displaying antique photos and momentos in the barber shop. I was intrigued to discover that the barber shop has been operating on the corner of University and Broadway since at least 1881, when the building was called the Morris Hotel. Imagine that!

The Red Door Market is currently open Tuesday-Saturday from 10-6. Enjoy!

Fratelli's Wood-Fired Pizzeria

It was just about the perfect evening. My husband, son and I strolled downtown on a crisp October Saturday night, enjoying the changing fall leaves. There's a part of me that really loves big cities for a variety of reasons, the tendency to walk to one's destination being one of them. I enjoy the thought that downtown Siloam is a sort of scaled-down version. (I know, it's really scaled down, but it captures the essence.) "Why don't I do this more often?" I mused, as we passed great scenes like this one:


Our destination was the newly opened Fratelli's Wood-Fired Pizzeria. The restaurant's warm glow beckoned us in from the chilly street, and we found a recently vacated, cheery red booth near the door. My husband kicked off the evening with an IBC Cream Soda, one of the many bottled beverages available. He then ordered a "build-your-own" pepperoni pizza ($8), and I chose the veggie pizza ($9). As an almost-vegetarian, I was thrilled by the selection of vegetable toppings. Happily, diners can choose up to five from the list for their veggie pizza. I chose: artichoke hearts, fresh tomatoes, onions, grilled eggplant and fresh basil. Needless to say, I couldn't wait for the pizzas to arrive! While we waited, I enjoyed a side salad ($2), consisting of mixed greens and cherry tomatoes with olive oil & balsamic vinaigrette. (A house vinaigrette and ranch dressing are also available.)


When the pizzas arrived, I was completely delighted. The colorful veggie pizza was a feast for the eyes. It was piping hot, straight from the brick oven. The hand-tossed crust was the right balance of delicate crispness on the outside, and warm chewy goodness on the inside. As stated in the menu, the quantity of the toppings complimented, rather than overwhelmed the simple flavors of the crust and the sauce. It was all that a great pizza should be!


Fratelli's is operated by brothers-in-law Scott Jones and Tom Ledabrand, and their goal is to create true Italian-style pizzas. Many of their ingredients (the flour and plum tomatoes, for example) are imported from Italy, as is their state-of-the-art brick oven. Fratelli's variety of pizza toppings also echos the restaurant's Italian flair: whole-milk mozzarella cheese, arugula, garlic slices, prosciutto (Italian ham), pancetta (Italian bacon), gorgonzola cheese, and speck, an Italian ham that is both cured and smoked. I greatly appreciate their quest for authenticity, as it makes their restaurant truly unique in our town, not to mention region.


The establishment also continues to serve its legendary gelato, fully rounding out the Italian experience. I couldn't help peeking in the case to check out the current flavors, and I was intrigued by the Autumn Spice Crunch and the Strawberry Rhubarb Sorbetto. Feeling hungry yet? Get yourself down to Fratelli's- manga!

Fratelli's is currently open Monday-Thursday from 5-9 pm, and Friday & Saturday from 5-10 pm. For more information, call 524-0766.

Breaking News

As I was driving through downtown around lunchtime today, I noticed a 40/29 News truck parked by Arvest bank, and a reporter was interviewing Wayne Mays, the Director of the Chamber of Commerce. How exciting! According to the 40/29 newsroom, the story is about development in Siloam Springs, and it will air at 6:00 pm tonight. Be sure to watch!