[nmnita]

Originally Posted by needing more

Nina-
Sry I thought I heard somewhere that Eureka Springs had a lot of those kind of homes.

Stormcrow73- sry.. Maumelle is a little too far south for us. Our ultimate goal is green mountains, water of some kind, more liberal then conserative, and not too hot/humid in the summer... I dont think that middle of AR will cut it..lol Thanks for the invite though

sounds like Fayetteville will be right up your alley, but I think the hardware store idea will not work too well, as the area is so well established. Again, yuo will have to re-think your drive as well...You are not going to find land anywhere near your price range close to Fayetteville..Because you are thinking in terms of liberal versus conservative, have you considered Eureka Springs area, maybe not right in the town, but near by? Fayetteville and Eureka Springs are going to be two of the more liberal cities, the smaller ones are more on the conservative side..

Nita

[RogMar]

Originally Posted by hognoxious

It sure is nice to have a 'local' hardware store - luckily we still have one of those places in Fayetteville on Leverett Avenue. The kind of place you walk in, pet the dogs, they hand your kid a bag of popcorn, the order and selection of merchandise seems sporadic and makes no rhyme nor reason - yet they seem to have everything you would ever need from a hardware store.

Exactly!!

We have one that is a block from a Wal Mart super center. Virtually "in the shadow".

There's not a thing I need that I don't stop there first.

If they don't have it, I ask if they can order it.

It's not unusual for them to direct the shopper to another store, or call around to see if they can locate it.

That's called "service".

[needing more]

Nina- Do you know more about Eureka Springs area?? What about these businesses there instead? Do they have any similar already?

[bagelw]

You probably could do well delivering Thai food in Fayetteville. I don't think there are any places other than pizza and sandwiches that will deliver. I know I would order delivery from you.

You would definitely have too much competition in Fayetteville for a hardware store. There are 2 Lowes, a Home Depot, True Value, Walmart, etc. in Fayetteville. You might check out some of the smaller towns surrounding Fayetteville. Elkins, Farmington, Prairie Grove, Lincoln, Greenland, or Goshen.

You might check out Eureka Springs. It's a small vacation town but it might meet your criterias. There are a lot of older homes but I'm not sure of the pricing. I'm not sure what the Thai restaurant or hardware store situation would be like there either. It's definitely worth a look though.

[Stormcrow73]

I don't think there is any Thai or sushi in Eureka Springs. Just be aware that Eureka Springs more or less shuts down in the winter. You have to be able to make your money during those precious seasonal months. If you can manage to get close to downtown, you can probably do quite well.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by needing more

Nina- Do you know more about Eureka Springs area?? What about these businesses there instead? Do they have any similar already?

As stormcrow mentioned, Eureka Springs does go pretty dark in the winter but many people live there year around. They do have lots of Victorian style homes, it is an artsy type of community and rather diverse..When you decide to visit NWA I suggest you plan to spend a day in the Eureka Springs area. It might give you some ideas..

Nita

[needing more]

Cool. I'd love to check out that area too..

[tutufay]

When you are researching Arkansas, please look at what is called "Tornado Alley". Also look at weather conditions north of the Arkansas River as compared to south of it. I also did my research before moving here from SW Florida and found Mena, the perfect town with the perfect weather.

[debbie at bouontiful]

I generally go to Eureka Springs in the winter. Rent a Bed and Breakfast, walk the streets, and sit in a hot jazucci (sp) hour on hour. The last B & B had a wonderful outdoor fire going for us and the room had a nice fireplace too. It was more romantic then our honeymoon 30 years ago.

[needing more]

I will check out Mena, AR and thanks for the comments about going there in the winter. We would have to be in an area that would be able to make it yr round though. Especially since we are talkin about 2 businesses here.