In Mena, I've had good success at the Ozark Inn on US 59. Clean & cheap - right around $50 a night.
Last year, I couldn't find anything available for reservations in Mena, so stayed over in Waldron at the Waldron Inn on Frankie Matthew Drive. Even though they were listed on Hotels.com, they had apparently just severed ties with all travel sites, so I didn't have a reservation when I showed up. However, they were empty, so I got a room for about $5 less than I expected - $44 a night. It didn't look like much from the outside, but the rooms were clean and pretty well kept. I'm noting that the place has changed names since last year - it's now the Cypress Barn Lodge. About a mile north of the motel on 71, I found a pretty decent family style restaurant, the Charbroiler, where I had a good chicken fried steak for dinner.