FAYETTEVILLE — It could have been just another loss to mourn in the brutal world of small business. Instead, a local coffee company, with the same name as an extinct bird, has left behind its original location, but is preparing for a new beginning in a new space.
Dodo Coffee Co. is beloved by many Fayetteville residents and University of Arkansas students. The small business was founded by a tight-knit family with a mission to spread kindness and joy through their coffee company. The company’s website, dodocoffee.co, titles its About Us page with the following: “A company built by family, for family.”
The family accomplished their goal and more by starting their shop in a small white brick building off Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in the heart of Fayetteville. A loyal customer of Dodo, Bree Figueroa loved their “low-priced coffees and friendly customer service.”
The overall goal of the company was to bring a sense of community, not only to the city, but to the students who attend the university. Unfortunately, on Feb. 27, Dodo Coffee closed the doors of the small white brick house location. Members of the community gathered to sign the famous building in honor of the impact they have on the community.
While this might be the end of one chapter for the company, it’s just the start of a brand new one. Dodo Coffee took to social media to reveal their next steps in growing their small business. The company bought property off Wedington Drive and plans to build a larger space. Social media posts note that the company is “hoping to break ground soon,” on a location where people from the community and students can gather to enjoy themselves, each other, and, more importantly, enjoy a cup of coffee.
Dodo Coffee’s ventures are breaking something of a norm among many small businesses.
Nearly 20 percent of startups don’t make it through their first year, according to commercialinstitute.com data. In the U.S, an estimated 34.8 million small businesses flourish nationwide, according to the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy. In the city of Fayetteville, over 10,000 small businesses were recorded in 2021. Of those businesses, almost 20 closed in the last year. A report by television station KNWA noted that Eureka Pizza had closed all but one location, Dickson Street Buster Belly’s closed a month shy of its 25th anniversary, and national and regional chains such as RadioShack and Damngoode Pies shuttered their Northwest Arkansas locations.
Statistics indicate that while small businesses make up the vast majority of businesses in the country, they also have a significant failure rate. Up to 50 percent (depending on sector and industry) fail in the first 10 years, according to commerceinstitute.com. The risks involved in starting a new business may raise questions for some about what support from the community and the city is available for new startups.
Fayetteville, Arkansas, is home to the University of Arkansas, hosting over 35,000 students, and the city has over 101,680 residents as of the most recent census figures recorded in 2023. The Chamber of Commerce for the city of Fayetteville supports and partners with all small and local businesses. According to Mark Goodman, the chamber’s Director of Economic Development, “small businesses that have ‘hard times’ can experience it from anything, from external economic threats (tariffs, global slowdowns, supply chains, etc.) to local challenges (local competition).” He indicated that looking at how outside factors can impact a business is crucial when looking at the closure rates. Goodman also reiterated that “internal company problems (poor management, etc.)” are also one of the leading factors in small business closures.
There are support systems in place to help small businesses succeed. For example, Goodman mentions that Fayetteville “has a very strong ecosystem of support, specifically for small businesses and their survival.” That kind of support can be seen in the case of Dodo Coffee Co., where fan expressed sadness about the MLK location and hopes for the new Wedington site.
So, the question remains: If the community continues to grow, is there hope for a decrease in closures? As mentioned before, Fayetteville is growing by thousands each year, and even Goodman says that there is a “fast-growing economy and 20,000 [give or take] households moving here every year, according to IRS taxpayer migration data.” Along with this, an “outside support network [is a] tremendous asset for [small business] here” which can be found in the growing community.
Goodman also mentioned organizations such as Startup Junkie, a supporter and resource for entrepreneurs throughout the region. According to its website, the Startup Junkie team is improving lives through innovation and entrepreneurship. Startup Junkie Consulting marked its beginnings in 2008 and formally organized as an LLC in 2011 by offering consulting services at no-cost to entrepreneurs. To expand the reach, impact, and depth of services, Startup Junkie Foundation was born in 2015 as a 501(c)3 nonprofit.
As for the Chamber of Commerce, Goodman reassures that they “support businesses, both new and existing, with technical support such as market analysis, economic impact, and other economic data, through connecting them with other support locally.” As a community and city, Fayetteville continues to thrive through its local businesses. With the resources provided, it’s hoped as the city grows, so will local businesses and support for them.
