Cave City, Ark. — A once-vacant lot on Main Street, formerly occupied by the Row Wells Mercantile Store, has been transformed into a vibrant pocket park for the community.
The mercantile store, which first opened in 1932, was a central feature of the city’s downtown before its building collapsed. In 2023, the city purchased the site for approximately $20,000, cleared the remains, and began plans for new development, according to Mayor Jonas Anderson. The redevelopment project was supported by the Sharp County Sheriff’s Office inmates and Heart of Cave City, an organization focused on revitalizing the Main Street area.
“It’s just a space where we want to see public art and community members coming and sharing minutes, moments together and just having a really good time with it,” Anderson said during the ribbon-cutting event.
One of the park’s defining features is a large cave-themed mural on its south wall, which was designed and painted by local art students in collaboration with Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Seniors Liriel Pauley and Kaysen Satterwhite from Cave City High School led the mural project, which began earlier this year.
Satterwhite explained that her art teacher provided inspiration for the design. “She just handed me a bunch of pictures of the inside of the cave that she had taken, and gave me this scrap paper and said, ‘Make a cohesive picture out of it,’ and so that’s what I did,” Satterwhite said.
Pauley contributed detailed touches to the mural and expressed pride in leaving a lasting mark in her hometown. “It will be nice to have something that I made and I put hard work into where people that I know and my family can all see it,” she said.
Students from Cave City Middle School also participated by painting decorative rocks to surround the mural, highlighting the collaborative nature of the project.
The pocket park already features a borrow-and-play box filled with jump ropes, frisbees, bubbles, and sidewalk chalk. However, city officials and organizers have bigger plans for the space, including additional public art installations, a stage for concerts and events, and enhanced safety measures. The park’s location along a state highway, which sees nearly 10,000 vehicles daily, has prompted a planned walk audit to identify potential safety improvements, Heart of Cave City Program Director Brandi Schulz said.
“This highway sees almost 10,000 vehicles per day. So, there are some safety features we would like to include,” Schulz said. “We have a walk audit coming up to identify those features, so we have a lot of big plans for the coming years.”
Schulz shared her excitement to see the community already using the space and hopes to see its offerings expand in the coming years.
The completed park represents an important step in Cave City’s broader efforts to preserve and enhance its downtown while creating spaces for residents to connect and enjoy.