Downtown Arlington looked different when Mandi and Nicholas Guerrero fell in love as students at the University of Texas at Arlington about 15 years ago.

There wasn’t anywhere to go on dates in the area, and they don’t remember downtown as walkable.

They graduated, got married and moved out of Arlington for work. A few months ago, they returned to the city.

Since moving back to Arlington, they’ve devoted date nights to trying downtown’s new businesses and restaurants, exploring the area’s efforts to reinvent itself as a cultural hub.

Those efforts were on full display Oct. 3 for Downtown Arlington’s debut First Thursdays, a monthly event that partners local businesses with artists. On the first Thursday of each month, participating businesses extend operations past regular business hours and into the evening. 

The Guerreros took their children to October’s First Thursdays for a family night, spending most of the evening painting pumpkins at downtown’s Division Brewing. 

Nearby, artists painted attendees’ faces at J. Gilligan’s Bar & Grill, musicians performed live music along Abram Street and visitors played bingo at Binions Ice House.

As the sun set behind City Hall, Sal Morales salsa danced with locals outside the downtown library. Morales, who helped start the nonprofit Salsa at the Gardens with his wife in 2020, said the organization has been partnering with Downtown Arlington for about six months to host its free dancing lessons.

He said he loves to see how cultural events like First Thursdays unite people over art and music — the whole reason he started Salsa at the Gardens after the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This diversity,” Morales said, gesturing to the crowd of dancers, “showcases every culture and brings people together. It shows we’re all the same, we’re all looking for the same. We all want a good job, to raise a family, to send our kids to the best schools, so we need to work together.”

First Thursdays sees the downtown Arlington area embracing its role as a state-designated Cultural District, which it uses to boost Theatre Arlington and Arlington Music Hall. 

New and old Arlington businesses added their color to the evening. On Abram Street, Ann’s Health Food Center & Market welcomed window painters to decorate its storefront.

For Ashley Derrick, one of the window painters, it was her first time downtown. A lifelong Dallas-Fort Worth resident, she’s only ever spent time in south Arlington along Interstate 20.

“I’m seeing art everywhere, it’s making it so I want to be here,” Derrick said. “I don’t know what I would expect — it has a fancy but inviting vibe.”

Neighboring Derrick’s painted windows, musician Chy Tea performed live music outside Kung Fu Tea. Chy Tea, an Arlington native, said they are thankful for the opportunity to perform and get out of their comfort zone.

The Downtown Arlington Management Corp. is a nonprofit managing the area in collaboration with the city, property owners and business owners. Since the organization’s formation in 2006, it has spearheaded many of the efforts to revitalize downtown.

Downtown Arlington sees 1.7 million annual visitors, according to data presented at the group’s 2024 annual meeting. Since 2014, the area has added 38 public art pieces and 31 restaurants. Property values have increased by 168%, and downtown jobs have more than doubled. 

At Mosaic Market, a downtown art shop selling supplies, decorations and crafts, visitors learned Zentangle art, a meditative practice emphasizing thoughtfulness and repetitive patterns.

The shop opened in July as one of downtown’s newest businesses. When co-owners Derith Armbruster and Melina Wikoff started the shop, they were looking to fill downtown’s need for an art store, Wikoff said.

Owning a business together is unfamiliar territory for the friends, who’ve known each other since elementary school. So far, they’ve been happy about the support they’ve seen, and they’re excited about Mosaic Market’s future as part of the city’s increasingly artistic community.

Their optimism reflects the broader sentiments of Downtown Arlington officials. First Thursdays sees the organization further investing in its future as a tourist destination, hopeful that visitors and residents will continue embracing the cultural unity that Morales enjoyed as he salsa danced at the downtown library.

Drew Shaw is a reporting fellow for the Arlington Report. Contact him at drew.shaw@fortworthreport.org or @shawlings601.

At the Arlington Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.