LITTLE ROCK, AR --
It's a lot of noise on Main Street.A lot of touching up to do, too, inside the old Cohn department store and the buildings attached to it. But to building co-owner Wooten Epes, it's beautiful!
"What do you see? What I see is history and I wish the walls could talk. No telling what's all gone on in this building since 1899," Epes said.
It's so much of a treasure that he and two others are building lofts on the second floor of the century old building.
Downstairs -- space for commercial use.
"There won't be anything like it. It's a daunting task but we've seen parts of downtown LR coming back so it's not like we're blazing a new trail," Epes said.
The owners want to maintain the historic integrity of the building that they're keeping a lot of things, like wood panels around the window. They will get a touchup but there to stay.
"It's a wonderful thing for the city because downtown is so important to any city," said Sharon Priest, executive director of the Downtown Little Rock Partnership.
Priest said said the projects are bringing folks to the heart of the city.
"When I drove home one day this week, I noticed there were three couples walking hand in hand, and for the longest time, when it got to be 5 or 5:30, you didn't see anybody," said Susan Smith, who works downtown.
Susan Smith believes the project, coupled with events like Food Truck Fridays -- are making people think twice about living downtown.
What a difference a little sprucing up makes.
