PINE BLUFF, Ark. — The City of Pine Bluff has been working to revitalize some businesses with hopes of being able to draw more people in.
That's been the goal for a while, but now the city is calling for outside help and leaders hope that a new partnership could help bring new developments.
"We went through a request for proposals process and had three actual companies to submit, and they're very competitive," said Lori Guelache, Pine Bluff's Economic and Community Development Director.
The city decided to partner with Retail Strategies, which is a company based out of Alabama.
Guelache said she hopes to see good results come from this new partnership.
"We'd like to be able to see how we can recapture some of the money that is possibly spent outside of our community, as well as improve our quality of life. So that maybe some of the people who are commuters now will actually consider living here," she described.
She also said how the old Pines Mall is one of the places needing some attention.
"It struggled a little bit before COVID, and COVID really put the last bit of pressure on that facility. And so some of the tenants left during that time frame. Some of the anchor tenants, and so that made it very difficult for the property owner to maintain the facility," she explained.
"We have not connected with those owners yet but we want to get on the same page there because it's certainly a big point for the city, obviously," said Clay Craft with Retail Strategies.
Craft said they're currently in the discovery phase which is when they learn all about Pine Bluff's data and analytics.
"We're now 30 days into a 90-day discovery window. Within the next 30 days, we're actually going to be in the market, and that's where our learning curve really ramps up," he added.
He said that in addition to working with the mall owners to hopefully revitalize it, they will find sites for new developments.
"Our process is to come in and really think of us as we become the city's broker. So the entire city of Pine Bluff is now my shopping center that I get to lease or sell. And that's, that's the most simplistic way to think about it," Craft added.
During the next two months, Retail Strategies said they will finish the discovery phase and then present a retail recruitment plan to the city.