NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A historic Central Arkansas business is in a slim company.
Lindsey's Hospitality House in North Little Rock is one of just 25 businesses nationwide recognized by the National Trust for Historic Preservation with a $40,000 grant.
"Told them a little bit about us and what we do in the community, and how we need improvements of our outside exterior," Lindsey's Hospitality House owner Donnie Lindsey said. "We were selected."
The historic restaurant has been around since 1956, initially owned by Donnie Lindsey's parents.
"We were kind of forced into it because we grew up in it," Donnie Lindsey said. "My wife was married into it."
Family is a big part of the Lindsey family's life. Whether behind the register, up on the wall, or just stopping by for lunch, this community has become their family.
And they stepped up during the pandemic.
"It was very tough at the time, but our customers just kind of rallied behind us," Eleanor Lindsey said. "That's why we are so committed to them as they are to us."
That commitment and sense of family is a big part of why they applied for that grant in the first place. The Lindsey family plans to renovate an exterior space by their building to construct an outdoor space for businesses and neighbors.
The $40,000 will go towards building that.
"It was a shock," Donnie Lindsey said.
It's a chance to add to family history while giving back to those that kept them going.
"This is for the customers," Eleanor Lindsey said. "This is for our neighborhood... We're humbled and proud to be able to give back in this way."