A former member of our Board of Directors. Chris Massingill was instrumental in getting The Locals started. Chris inspires creativity in others by teaching workshops and art classes. In addition to ceramics, she makes stamped vintage silverware and imaginative stuffed creatures. Her famous 'Cereal Killer' spoons and funny quote cards always bring smiles to people's faces. She is a wonderful artist and an active member of the art community in Conway. Always eager to participate, Chris takes her bubbly personality and a good sense of humor wherever she goes. You can find her creations at seasonal craft markets and on etsy

This organization was one of the first to join The Locals and support the project. Celebrating their 30 years of serving the community, they have truly become a Conway institution and a cornerstone for the arts. Their concert series and special events, like the Nutcracker with the Arkansas Festival Ballet (Dec.6th), are looked forward to by many.The organization works hard to cultivate the love for music in people of all ages. Proving that classical music is not reserved for the adults, their famous instrument petting zoo and kids corner activities expose children to fine music from an early age. A special thanks to Vicki Crockett, the organization's general manager, an expert at networking, always plugged in to what is happening in the community and a wonderful person to work alongside of. Find them at http://www.conwaysymphonyorchestra.org/

These three ladies have been a constant source of support and encouragement. Since the beginning of this project, Pat, Jan and Linda have helped us turn our vision into reality. From their home-studio, the ladies get together to sip coffee and put together one of a kind pieces with materials spanning from cultured sea-glass and kazuri beads from Kenya, to lava hematite and tagua nuts from South America. They believe in sourcing materials with a conscience, making their jewelry not only beautiful but caring and compassionate. Their presence at The Locals always brightens up the space and their creations are constant source of compliments among visitors. Find them at etsy.com/shop/creativecoffeeclub

Arkansas Killer Bee and Tomato Farm: bringing you local honey, bees wax lotions and his famous Tomolives (small green tomatoes pickled like olives) small farmer Brian Isaac has been a supporter of The Locals since its inception. In the summer we had a chance to make one of our farm tour stops in his farm, where he showed us his efforts to build an all natural environment for his bees and plants. Always eager to share his knowledge and experience, you can reach out to Brian if you are interested in beekeeping or starting your own small farm http://arkillerbee.com/

Dear friends,

    Over the last year we have had the great pleasure of getting to know and work with many of you at The Locals. Each of us at La Lucha Space have had fun making awesome stuff happen throughout the community. We certainly learned a great deal from our experience running a retail space, a coffee bar, and doing our best to serve the needs of our diverse community. With this in mind, our board has recently made the difficult decision that the best path forward for The Locals is to close our present location on December 23, 2014.  

    La Lucha Space, and The Locals, will continue to support local producers, and connect our community to local food, art, and culture during 2015.  In the spring and summer, be on the look-out for pop-up markets and other entertaining activities around the city. As we leave the space we do not intend to cease our work--we are merely moving into a nomadic phase working on our grant-funded Local Food project and the Faulkner County Urban Farm Project. To learn more about these projects keep in touch with us through Facebook, Twitter, and thelocals.be. With all of that said, we hope that you will help us make this holiday season great for our members by remembering to shop local and telling your friends to come support our community.

At this time we would like to begin working with any and all program organizers and community organizations who want to be involved in our activities in 2015. Thank you all for all the good times, the encouragement, and your continued support. This is not a good-bye but simply the start of a new chapter, so come on by and help us make the last few weeks at The Locals, and our next phase, a blast.

The Locals joins the national #GivingTuesday campaign. Click here to make a recurring donation or here to donate once. Every little bit makes a difference. Thank you for your support!

Celebrate love and giving by supporting your local community.

We are looking for new artist, and fine crafters to join us at The Locals, and sell their work.  New member applications will be taken through October 10th, after which membership will be closed through the holiday season. Interested parties should make inquiries at http://www.thelocals.be/join_as_artist_crafter or in person at The Locals.

As part of the city of Conway’s annual ArtsFest Festival, the editorial staff of the University of Central Arkansas’s award-winning Toad Suck Review will host a reading on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. at The Locals coffee shop in downtown Conway. RSVP is encouraged but not required, so head over to the event page and let us know you're coming to this free event.  

It's no secret that many of The Locals staff and volunteers also work with Conway ArtsFest.  We love an event that brings together so many different arts organizations, performers, and people in our beloved city.  So we're glad to help you find your way in the festival by posting the ArtsFest schedule, which you can also check out on their site. Read more to interact with the online schedule in all its glory.