In the “Everything Takes Longer Than You Think It Will Department,” we offer the following updates:
► The craft distillery scene continues to grow in Arkansas, as you will have noticed if you’ve read our Page 1 story on Delta Dirt Distillery in Helena-West Helena or if you read our story online about Franklin’s Distillery in Blytheville.
In Hot Springs, meanwhile, Crystal Ridge Distillery and Hot Springs Distilling are still moving ahead.
Charles D. “Danny” Bradley Jr., who was standing in line at Lowe’s when we talked, was reluctant to narrow down a date for the opening of Crystal Ridge, at 455 Broadway in Hot Springs, saying, “We’re working hard every day to get open, and that’s all we can do.”
An Aug. 27 post on Crystal Ridge’s Facebook page said, “We are getting near the end of the building and we need some general labor people to come in and help us complete the rest of our project.” It later updated the post to say it had received enough offers of help.
Whispers suggests you check the page occasionally for further updates.
Keith Atkinson, who’s working on the Hot Springs Distilling project at 121 Ross St., told Whispers that he hopes to be open by the first of the year. “We’re still working as hard as we can to get open,” he said.
► And on the bakery beat, Patti Stobaugh tells us she expects to have the downtown location of PattiCakes Bakery at 1137 Front St. in Conway open by the end of this month.
She’s awaiting the arrival of a big oven, and once it’s installed, she’ll need another couple of weeks to get going.
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