IFPEOPLEHAVE
heardofBentonvilleat
all, they typicallyasso-
ciate thissmall town in
thenorthwestcorner
ofArkansaswithone
thing: the internationalheadquartersof
WalmartStores, Inc.Anduntil recently,
theplacehadall thecharmandcultural
sophisticationofabox-storesupercenter.
Whatadifferencea fewyearsand the
largesseofoneof thecountry’srichest
familiescanmake. It’sanexampleofhow
abigcompanycanhelp to transforma
small town intoaculturalgem.
In thepast fouryears, thiscityof
about45,000residentshasgaineda
world-classartmuseum, an interactive
children’smuseum, aboutiquehotel
filledwithcontemporaryartandavi-
brant,bustling townsquaresurrounded
by trendynewrestaurants.
TheWash-
ingtonPost
namedBentonville’sdining
scene to its2013“In” list.Twoyearsago,
SouthernLiving
magazinewondered if it
was theSouth’s“nextculturalmecca.”
InApril, readersof
Food&Wine
voted
MatthewMcClureof21cMuseumHotel
Bentonvilleoneof the topnewchefs in
thecountry, citing thedown-homecre-
ativityofhisgaram-masalaroastchicken
withokraratatouilleandhispimento
cheesewithbacon jamand toast.
ItwasAliceWalton,daughterofSam
Walton,whobecame thechiefcatalyst
for therecentrapid-fire transitionof
Bentonville fromasleepy town into
a touristattraction.WhileSamwas
amassinghis fortuneandcharming the
countryasabillionairewhodrovea
mud-splatteredpickup,hisonlydaughter
wasquietlyamassingoneof the largest
Small-TownMakeover
How tinyBentonville,Arkansas,becameacultural “it”city
AMERICANWAY
NOVEMBER2015
83
BUSINESS
ByAnnZimmerman
ILLUSTRATION
TERENCE EDUARTE
It’sanexampleofhowabigcompanycanhelp to
transformasmall town intoacultural gem.
