An app set to launch next month may change the way people experience the outdoors.

What's happening: Stuart Collier, principal broker of Collier & Associates, is launching Explore Eden, which will enable landowners to list properties and would-be campers to book them as campsites.

• It'll offer options for users who want different experiences or have different needs, from RV-ready spots to primitive locations to so-called "glamping" sites, where, for an extra fee, posh tents will be erected ahead of arrival.

• Service will differentiate Explore Eden from Airbnb or Vrbo, Collier said. He cited a focus on vetting locations with good user experiences and helping landowners with photography and video services as ways to make his app more competitive.

Why it matters: The pandemic has renewed interest in outdoor recreation, including camping. Explore Eden leverages that niche and taps into an estimated $87 billion global vacation rental business.

• And the app is an example of NWA's entrepreneurial spirit and contributes to a shift into a more diversified economy, leaning on all things outdoors.

Flashback: Collier said the idea came when a friend of a friend offered to pay him to use his land near Osage Creek last year.

• "Devil's Den and all these parks were booked solid; you couldn't even get a spot," he said. "If you did, you had some guy playing his music too loud or getting drunk 10 feet over from you, and I just thought, 'There has to be a better way.'"

What they're saying: Clay Morton, a partner in Mission Contractors, has land on Beaver Lake, where he plans to eventually build a couple of houses.

• He uses it for camping, but "not often enough." So he's listed the location with Explore Eden, hoping for some passive income.

Between the lines: Land is a great long-term investment but can be a financial burden in the short term.

• Collier hopes Explore Eden will allow qualified landowners the ability to cash flow property without major development, while giving nature-lovers the opportunity to use private land with desirable views and no noisy neighbors.

What to watch: The app is set to launch in mid-September, and Collier's team is actively looking for landowners in NWA.

• But he's already got an eye toward the future and is looking to expand in Nashville and Knoxville, Tennessee; Austin, Texas; and North Carolina.

👋 Alex, here. I think it's safe to say this spot is a downtown Fayetteville staple. It may have been one of the first off-campus places I hung out at when I first moved to NWA for college in 2012. (At the time, I had no idea it had just opened a month earlier.)

• The Fayetteville Flyer reported the coffee shop and restaurant's last day was Wednesday. Arsaga's had temporarily reopened this spring after being closed because of the pandemic.

Yes, but: Arsaga's new Mill District location on School Avenue in Fayetteville is up and running. And so are its three other locations, including one on the U of A campus.

Tomorrow night, the Springdale city council takes up a smoking ban, according to its agenda.

Details: The proposed ordinance would ban tobacco products in city parks, trails, recreational facilities, sports fields, and in the stands.

This includes chewing tobacco, electronic cigarettes and vapes.

Why it matters: Well, on top of secondhand smoke being a health risk, many people find the smoke and leftover cigarette butts annoying.

• Smoking in public places has been increasingly limited over the past several decades, and we’re still seeing new rules here and there that further restrict it.

Context: Fayetteville enacted a similar policy in 2018. Smoking isn’t allowed at Rogers parks either.

• In Bentonville, smoking is allowed only in parking lots.

Go to the meeting: 6pm Tuesday, at the new criminal justice building on Spring Street.

🏥 Mercy Health System will start paying all of its employees at least $15 an hour. (Mercy)

⚖️ The Bentonville school district is asking that a lawsuit against it over a mask mandate be moved to federal court. (Talk Business & Politics)

⛔️ The Cane Hill Harvest Festival has been canceled because of COVID-19. (Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

🩸 Arkansas needs more people to donate blood. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

👋 Worth here. A dish I've never really understood, but have always enjoyed, is chicken and waffles.

• I guess it hits that spot most people seem to like: savory plus sweet.
• Sorta like putting sea salt in chocolate, which is popular.

🐔The setup: When I learned about the KDK's food truck, I had to check it out.

• Five tenders (which seemed like a good idea at the time), a waffle and some macaroni and cheese set me back about $12.
• This is a reasonable price for the amount of food that came out of the window.

🧇 The verdict: First off, the macaroni and cheese should be called cheese and macaroni — the ratio is at least 50-50.

• The chicken was tender, fried with a light spice, hot and juicy.
• The waffle didn't do much for me since it was soft but was a sweet piece of bread.
• Tip: Try the house dipping sauce with the chicken. It's a spicy vinegar-based barbecue sauce made by someone with a passion for food on the other side of that window.

Next time: I plan to try the waffle cone with chicken and macaroni and cheese.