New restaurants coming to Midtowne | News

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) -- Restaurants, shops and apartments are just a few of the new additions to the Midtowne area in Little Rock. Original developments started back around 2006, and they are still going strong.

The next additions will be a couple of new restaurants-Panera Bread and Big Orange. Business owners are excited about the new establishments coming because that means more traffic, and more traffic means more money.

Wendy Reed is a senior manager at accessory store Versona's,

"It's not been too long since we opened in Midtown," said Wendy Reed, a senior manager at Versona's, which is an accessory store. "It's a great area to shop because we've got food here in this center, and we have the Container Store where you can get stuff for your home. There's a hair salon."

Reed said it's that variety that draws in her customers like Francile Grey.

"Everything is just about in the area together. You really don't have to walk too far. You may have to walk a little bit, but that's fine," explained Grey.

"As the new normal of the economy tends to happen, I think you see more and more people who want to live much closer to their work, ideally where they might be able to walk or have a quick bike ride," said associate broker Greg Joslin. "We are really seeing resurgence in that quick service. The casual dining concept is very active right now."

Reed said that activity is good and helping their store get off to a strong start.

"People come in with other bags, so they've shopped this area, so having all these great stores around us helps business," he added.