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Only in west Little Rock

Five things you’ll be pressed to find anywhere east of University Avenue.

By Elizabeth Sharp

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

It’s been held up as an outer-city oasis and cast down as a bastion of urban sprawl. But no matter how you slice it, there are some things in west Little Rock you can’t find anywhere else in town.

Jessi Kidwell, who grew up in west Little Rock, said she’s seen it change a lot in her 27 years.

“When I was a teenager, we didn’t have a Target, we didn’t have an Old Navy, we didn’t have a Guitar Center — we didn’t have all that stuff to do,” she said.

And she sees the growth as a decidedly positive change.

“In Little Rock, you’ve got your artsy part on Kavanaugh, and you’ve got your bars and everything downtown. There’s got to be a part that’s just day-to-day,” she said.

“It’s a good thing we’ve got a Target. It’s a good thing we’ve got a Guitar Center for teenagers who play guitar and need to go there. I feel like there’s something necessary in all of it.”

Aaron Nichols, 25, of Little Rock said he goes to west Little Rock to shop at places like Best Buy and Barnes and Noble. But he still thinks the abundance of chain restaurants and retailers have given west Little Rock an “impersonal or colder” feel than other parts of the city.

“It lacks the kind of character that areas like the Heights or Hillcrest or downtown have,” he said.

On the plus side, he said, west Little Rock is attracting new businesses and stores that had previously been unavailable. And it’s a welcome change from the city, where parking and navigating have increasingly become a problem, he said.

Residents might be divided on whether west Little Rock is good. But there’s no mistaking that it has a few features not found in abundance in other areas of the city. Here’s a sample of some of things that make west Little Rock unique:

1. ROUNDABOUTS

There are a lot of great things in the world that are circular — donuts, for instance. The jury is still out on roundabouts, traffic easements that are prevalent throughout Europe. At least two west Little Rock neighborhoods, Brodie Creek and Duquesne Place, feature these sometimes tricky turnstiles.

2. INDIAN FOOD

West Little Rock has chain restaurants, but surprisingly, it’s also one of the only places in town to eat and shop for authentic Indian food. If you’re craving fresh-baked naan or dying for saag paneer, you can head to Star of India or Kabab and Curry. Or if you’re willing to try your hand at cooking the ethnic cuisine yourself, you can head to Indian Grocers on Rodney Parham Road.

3. SAILING CLUB

Sailing inspires thoughts of polos, seersucker shorts and Ralph Lauren advertisements. But members of the Grand Maumelle Sailing Club are concerned only about sailing.

“It’s definitely not white collar,” said member Paulette McConnell. “We’re definitely laid back in shorts and sandals. We’re out there for being on the water.”

McConnell said the club is located in west Little Rock for one main reason: Lake Maumelle. “There’s a lot of sailing around — in Ouachita and Greer’s Ferry — but with that size of a lake that’s close to Little Rock, it’s perfect,” she said.

4. PAMPERED POOCHES

At some point, every pet owner has to find a good kennel. But, for some, “good” isn’t good enough. That’s where upscale doggie resorts like Chenal Pet Palace and Canine Country Club come in.

Chenal Pet Palace has 63 rooms — not cages — that include TVs, couches and decorative schemes ranging from the Razorbacks to princesses. And Canine Country Club boasts a swimming pool and kennel cameras so owners can keep an eye on their pups while they’re away.

But it’s not just west Little Rock dwellers who like to give their dogs the royal treatment; Chenal Pet Palace owner Steve Mosley said about 30 percent of his clients come from as far away as Pine Bluff and Hot Springs.

5. NO CELL PHONE POLICIES

Whether you’re in a meeting or at the movies, there are almost constant reminders to turn off your phone. Some west Little Rock restaurants — Trio’s and Lilly’s Dim Sum, Then Some — are telling customers to turn their phones off.

Lilly’s employee Vincent Suha said that restaurant instituted a no cell phone policy for the benefit of patrons and servers alike.

“Most people here prefer having a calm atmosphere,” he said. “The other main reason is the servers have a hard time talking to tables on their cell phones.”