Jackson eatery gets outdoor makeover

Rodney Barnes, owner of Stooges in Jackson, said he thought the retaining wall around his restaurant parking lot looked "plain."

No longer.

In the last two weeks, six separate mural panels have been painted on the wall.

"I did one of the Beatles myself," said Barnes, "and I wanted to give others the opportunity."

It was just last year Barnes was looking to sell his eatery at 507 W. Main St. because of a health issue.

The medical concern has passed, and Barnes, 52, said he's looking forward to welcoming customers, old and new, when he reopens Thursday.

"I think (Stooges) was the first Jackson restaurant to shut down due to the pandemic," the Blytheville, Arkansas, native said, "and I might be the last to return to business."

The decision to welcome customers again starting June 25 is only partly due to Gov. Mike Parson's authorization of Phase 2 of the state's recovery, essentially opening the state for business.

"There has been instability in the food market," said Barnes, "and people have been leery about going out (to eat)."

The bearded businessman cuts quite a different visage these days from the 30 years spent in law enforcement, 22 of them as a captain in the local Jackson police department.

Barnes bought Stooges in 2018 and said the uptown Jackson establishment, which has been in its current location 15 years, will add something new to his restaurant's usual offerings.

"We'll have everything people have come to expect from us, but we'll have pizza, too," said Barnes, who did his undergraduate work at Southeast and decided to remain in the area.

"I like pizza, so it's now on the menu," he added.

Artists are welcome to express themselves on what remains unpainted on Barnes' retaining wall.

"I don't want any controversial topics," Barnes said, "and artists should come and ask me first."