West Memphis, Arkansas is a youngster as cities go, having been founded only about 1916. Its growth was steady throughout the 1920s, and even continued during the dark days of the Great Depression, largely for two reasons. For one thing, the state of Arkansas legalize liquor nine years before Tennessee did, and Memphis residents poured across the bridge to get what they could not buy at home. And for another, Highway 70, known as the Broadway of America, ran from Atlantic, North Carolina to Los Angeles, California, directly through the booming city. Motorists could not avoid it, and with its string of diners, cafes and motels, West Memphis was often more convenient for cross country travelers than Memphis.
It came as no surprise that West Memphis named this stretch of Highway 70 Broadway, as the Broadway of America name for the highway. seems to have been a cue to a number of cities along it. Portions of Highway 70 are named Broadway in Knoxville, Nashville, New Johnsonville, Tennessee, Forrest City, Arkansas and North Little Rock. So as Mayor Marco McClendon focuses on improving West Memphis’s image, it is not surprising that he focuses heavily on Broadway, the city’s main artery. Much of the beautification has been in the form of public artwork on the walls of buildings, particularly at intersections, and around the designated food truck park. The brightly-colored murals reference the city’s blues heritage, its history, and uplifting slogans. One pointedly said, “Vision is the Art of Seeing What is Invisible to Others.”
The renovated street is also attracting new businesses. I stopped by the Groovy Greyhound Coffee and Creamery, which is a new coffee bar along the route east of downtown. I found it a quaint and pleasant space, with colorful works of local art, plenty of table space for quiet computer work, and delicious coffee. They sell ice cream as well as coffee, and also have bags of roasted coffee beans to take home I bought a bag of Kenyan coffee to enjoy, and I highly recommend the Groovy Greyhound.