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By CHRISTOPHER HALL

No one knows for sure whether the name Dogtown, for the area of North Little Rock, Ark., now known as the Argenta Arts District, originally came from the abandoned animals that once roamed its streets. What is certain is that in these six square blocks of vintage storefronts and artists' studios, a trolley ride across the Arkansas River from downtown Little Rock, urban desolation is giving way to urban cool. "There's been a dramatic change even since we arrived," said Jody Hardin, who in 2008 co-founded the district's popular Saturday farmers' market, where only Arkansas purveyors are welcome. "The galleries and restaurants, the new town homes and restored houses, are making this a place to be."



