Top of Class

Fine and fun, The Primary represents the owners’ shared belief in the Texarkana area
By Ellen Orr

Adrian and Haley Keener with Natalie and Cody Peek. photo by shane darby

Established in 1885, the Nash School closed its doors for good in 1963, when the area was incorporated into the Texarkana Independent School District. The school was on its third building: the first, a one-room schoolhouse, was destroyed by a cyclone in 1894. In 1904, a two-story structure was erected on Highway 82, and in 1924, it was replaced with a larger building to support more students.

Local entrepreneur Cody Peek had been eyeing the historic property for years when it came on the market in 2021. “The day the [for sale] sign went up in the front, I bought it,” he said. “I didn’t know what it was going to be, but I loved the building, and I loved the potential that the building had, and I hated the thought of it not being something cool.”

Cody, who is CEO of Reliance Mechanical Contractors, knew that, with his professional expertise and the creative vision of his wife, Natalie, the possibilities were limitless. As their imaginings grew larger and larger, the Peeks knew they would need partners—people who were smart, creative, reliable, and equally big dreamers. Cody said the choice was obvious: his cousin, Haley Keener, and her husband, Adrian.

“I just thought they would be a great fit for what we wanted to do,” Cody said. “They’ve had experience traveling to different parts of the world and lived in a bigger city. Part of the goal has been to put something in place that we always wished would be here, and they were able to catch that vision pretty quick.”

Haley, whose mother owns and operates Tree Haven Venue in Simms, Texas, brings event experience to the project, along with obvious work ethic and savvy.

Over the next few years of brainstorming, researching, and dreaming, the full picture came into focus: The Primary (named as a nod to the property’s history) would be a campus consisting of a boutique hotel, event venue, and farm-to-table restaurant. The restaurant, called the Primary Commons, opened first, in October 2025. The interior was luxuriously outfitted by Natalie with natural materials, including marble tabletops, as well as striking light fixtures and local florals. “Natalie is the reason anything we own looks good,” Cody said. “We’ve had architects involved and other outside help, too—Justin Scurlock, Brittany Brooks, [landscape architects from] Landvisions out of Tyler, Texas—but ultimately, the thing that makes the [atmosphere] special is her influence.”

Staff in both back- and front-of-house roles are experts in their crafts. submitted photos

Natalie emphasized that she is driven to curate lasting spaces for people to use and love. “When I walk into Local Habit and see someone with their feet up, relaxed and enjoying themselves—that’s what inspires me,” she said. “So collaborating on this larger space with so many other local creatives, for the enjoyment of members of the community, has been such a joy.”

While the Peeks did co-found the nearby coffee shop Local Habit with Dr. Josh and Rendi Wiggins in 2022, neither they nor the Keeners had any restaurant experience prior to this venture. They knew, however, that the quality of the restaurant would “set the stage for everything else on the property,” Cody said. “We wanted the restaurant to be of utmost quality—the best food, the best vendors, the best staff.” They wanted farm-to-table meals, sustainably-sourced ingredients, and as much local product as possible. To that end, they brought in regenerative farmer Annemarie Sullivan of Sullifarm to serve as the director of operations.

“I call Annemarie our creative director,” Cody said. “I think she is incredible. Her creativity is top-notch, and she has built vendor relationships with local [farmers and ranchers]. I was here one day when a guy rolled the back of a tarp off of this truck, and there was a pile of cabbage in the back. It’s pretty cool that we’re an outlet for these local farmers to sell their products.”

Cody and Haley estimated that 75% of their ingredients are sourced from the four states region. Even ingredients that can’t be procured locally are purchased from ethical, high-quality sellers. “For example, we have a relationship with a salmon farmer in Alaska,” Haley said. “That’s not local, but it’s still farm-to-table.”

A list of local farmers is displayed proudly on the menu. One provider is especially important to the team. “My son, Owen, is the egg farmer,” Cody said. Owen, a sixth grader at Red Lick Middle School, raises chickens at their house and supplies eggs to individuals as well as to the restaurant. In anticipation of the restaurant’s upcoming brunch offerings, he recently purchased 25 more chickens. “He did the math and said, ‘I’m just not going to be ready. We’ve got to get some more,’” Cody shared.

Weekend brunch service, which will begin April 18th, is expected to bring new patrons to the Commons, which has, to this point, mainly operated as a reservations-only fine-dining restaurant. While menu items like Texas Wagyu, smoked salmon rillettes, and linguine with truffles do suggest fine dining, Haley and Cody emphasized that exclusivity and formality are not their goals.

“The misconception is that the restaurant is only a fancy place, but the reality is it’s pretty casual,” Cody said. “You can come sit on the back porch. We’re building a playground right now for kids to play; we already have a sandbox.”

Haley agreed. “Soon, we’re going to start a social hour called Recess,” she said. “You can come straight from work—you don’t have to go home and change or go buy an outfit to come here. Just come and hang out.”

While reservations are still encouraged for Thursday through Saturday, the restaurant is now explicitly open for walk-ins on Wednesdays and Sundays. If online bookings are full, Haley encourages people to call. “We’re still figuring out our reservation system,” she admitted. “So call, and we will try our best to be flexible and get you in.” Bar seating is always open to walk-in patrons.

submitted photos

The team acknowledged that the price point is high relative to other local options. “It’s a little bit more expensive, but you can come have an experience that’s maybe a little bit different,” Cody said. “The value isn’t just in the really good food. You also get to enjoy the property.”

The prices also reflect the investments into the community: local, organic, ethical farming is more expensive than industrial agriculture—but the money stays in the region, contributing to the prosperity of the area. Further, the top-tier staff, both back- and front-of-house, are experts in their crafts and provide high-value service.

“Yes, we could create a less-expensive plate of food—but I don’t think we should,” Cody said. “And I think that our community can handle it. Just because we haven’t had [something in the past] doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have it now.”

“We’re pushing people a little bit out of their comfort zone,” Haley added. “This is what they look for when they go out of town. Why can’t we have that here?”

The 12,000-square-foot event venue, called The Court, is open and accepting bookings. The reception hall, located on the former basketball court, is only one aspect of the space. Guests also have access to a full professional kitchen, bride and groom suites, meeting rooms, and an outdoor square.

submitted photos

The 17-suite hotel should be up and running within the year. Guests will have access to a fitness center, a pool, spa services, fire pits, table tennis, and the aforementioned playground, which will be carpeted with artificial turf and studded with tree trunks cut from the Peeks’ own farm, intended for climbing and jumping.

The goals are lofty, but the team is determined and unafraid.

“I’m an optimist—and you would have to be an optimist to decide to do something like this,” Cody said. “We may not have a lot of restaurant experience. We don’t have a lot of hotel experience. But we do have experience in customer service, and we know how to treat people the way we would want to be treated, and we know what good quality looks like. We know what we would love to have in the Texarkana area. And why not? Why can’t we have something cool? We should be able to have cool stuff, too.”

“We believe in it so much,” Haley added. “We’re like, ‘This is gonna work. We’re gonna do whatever we have to do to make this work, and it’s gonna be really awesome.’”