Westside Community Guide

2023 Westside Community Guide – 31 HIWASSE — A young couple in Hiwasse has restored an old decaying building for a useful new purpose and in so doing has preserved much valuable Hiwasse history. Hiwasse Mercantile opened on Dec. 4, 2022, as a "modern-day general store where old meets new" and the adjoining meeting room opened on March 12 when it hosted the quarterly meeting of the Benton County Historical Society. Chris and Amanda Flynt worked diligently, spending most of 2022 rebuilding the historic building which once housed one of Hiwasse's first businesses, Hiwasse Produce and Grocery. e south side, which is now their retail store, was once a Purina feed store operated by Virgil Banks (and in more recent years by "Pude" Hendrickson, whom many locals remember). e north side meeting room was originally Banks' produce and grocery store. e building was most recently the home of Hiwasse Heat and Air, operated by Dale Bequette and Red Casey. When that business moved out, the building fell into disrepair. Amanda is a third-generation Hiwasse resident. She was born and raised in Hiwasse, and her parents, Phillip and Alta Fletcher, and grandparents, Denice and Billie Fletcher, were all Hiwasse residents, although her mother was born in Idaho where the family moved for a time during the depression. Amanda has fond memories of her early days in Hiwasse when "everybody knew everybody," and she spent time reminiscing with her grandmother, who had a lot of early memories. "Times are changing so much," Amanda noted, and much history is being lost as generations pass on. Amanda was working for her father at Built-Well Construction, his business just across the street, housed in an old restored bank building that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. She wished she could do something with the old feed store and grocery and thought about how she would love to renovate the building. e building had deteriorated to the point that the city of Gravette was starting the process of condemning it, deeming it an "eyesore." Amanda then wrote a letter to the former owner, Alan Keith, explaining her vision for the building. He was at first reluctant to sell the property but with much persistence he finally agreed to sell. e Flynts say they are both very thankful that Keith accepted their offer and gave them the opportunity to restore it for posterity. ey immediately began demolition and cleanup. e building had largely fallen down and trees were growing up in the structure. Other trees had overgrown the front of the building. Although many folks advised them they should simply tear it down and start over, they were able to keep the north, west and south walls. e east wall, which is the front of the building, was completely rebuilt with the exception of three original brick columns. e original concrete floor is still intact but new doors had to be installed since the old doors would not meet current building codes. A small number of the original tin ceiling tiles were salvaged and have been used in the bathrooms and hallway. e old structure had no plumbing and no insulation. e Flynts made the decision to install insulation on the outside of the walls in order to preserve the historic brick walls inside. Although Chris and Amanda did much of the work, the crew from Built-Well Construction helped with the remodeling project. Chris Flynt is a Decatur native and a 1998 graduate of Decatur High School. He owned a CPA firm in Bentonville, which he later sold, and he is now serving as chief financial officer of Built-Well Construction. He and Amanda married in 2017. eir blended family consists of five daughters and two sons ranging in age from 10 to 17. So, in addition to the daunting task of restoring their business building in 2022, the couple has been busy with family responsibilities. e Hiwasse Mercantile retail shop, which is a "one-stop shop," offers USDA-approved beef and pork, cheeses, pantry dry goods and condiments. Amanda's brother, Michael Fletcher, and his wife Whitney provide the beef from black Angus cattle at their Fletcher Farms Cattle Company cow/calf operation, and the pork products come from Gaither Farms. Many household items, home decor and gi items are available. Clothing and accessories include many items of Gravette Lion and Razorback apparel and other clothing with the Hiwasse Mercantile logo. Dishes include bowls, mugs and saucers from Pooch Paws Pottery. is pottery is thrown, glazed and fired at Skinner's Pottery in Diamond, Mo., and 60% of the profits are donated to the Centerton Animal Shelter. Pet supplies, books, toys and games and greeting cards are among the items sold. e North Side, the adjoining meeting room which was once the produce and grocery, is labeled a "nostalgic gathering place" and is available for rent for private events such as showers, birthday parties and family reunions. Persons wishing to rent the room may phone 479-600-8155 or email sales@ hiwassemercantile.com for a booking. e room is decorated with vintage furniture and antiques reminiscent of its early history, and there is a "kiddie corner" in the back where children can play with antique toys. When the room is not being rented for an event, Amanda says it is open for anyone to come in, "hang out," play board games, dominoes or checkers, read or browse the collection of history books. e walls are decorated with many displays featuring early Hiwasse citizens and businesses, and Amanda's mother, Alta Fletcher, enjoys setting up window displays on both sides of the building, using vintage items so one can soak up a lot of Hiwasse history. Complimentary coffee is available and persons renting the room can bring in their own food. e Flynts plan to do some landscaping and open a patio area in the coming months where visitors can enjoy playing cornhole and outdoor games. ■ HiWASSE MERCANTiLE owners restore historic building, preserve Hiwasse history by Susan Holland Submitted photo Amanda Flynt and her husband Chris share an embrace in front of the Hiwasse Mercantile building on opening day of the business, December 4, 2022.

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