I’ve been having a little fun on Facebook over this story about boutiques in DTSF. (Stormland TV deleted my FB comment, but it still remains on my FB page);
LOL. I Often joke with my fellow downtowners that I will soon be opening a women’s boutique DT that has clothing, cupcakes, craft beer bar and fudge shop. Yes, there are too many women’s boutiques DT. More bars and restaurants and entertainment options, your dress shops are wasting valuable space DT, go away.
To tell you the truth, I could care less how many women’s clothing stores are DT. But I also feel that the makeup of DT needs to be tweaked going forward. I like to use Fort Collins, CO as a great example of an amazing DT area. I have visited twice over the past 6 years. I love it. It is very comparable to Sioux Falls because of population and a midwestern feel. While the footprint is bigger, the parking situation, walkability and structures are very similar.
What makes their DT flourish, I believe, is the high concentration of eateries, art galleries and misc, interesting retail.
Fort Collins Downtown Business Members (Breakdown)
Restaurants, Bars, Delis, etc. – 61
Variety, Giftshops, Retail, Jewelry, etc. – 52
Art Galleries – Private & Non Profit – 22
Banks, Real Estate, Law, Insurance, etc. – 30
Medical Clinics, etc. – 13
Business Services, Spas, Etc. – 37
Clothing Stores – 13
Lodging – 2
Funeral Home – 1
Auto Repair and Dealerships – 3
Government related – 12
Churches – 2
(Not on the membership list is dozens of marijuana shops)
Besides the fact they are a brewery haven, have a large college and they have FREE pedicabs, they embrace what brings people DT, especially tourists; unique shops, great food and drink and art galleries. Do you know how many art galleries are DTSF? Approximately four, if you include 8th and Railroad. One of them is the Pavilion, which charges an admission even though it gets government subsidies. One of the stupidest things was for the Pavilion to start charging admission to the VAC.
DTSF needs to start researching and implementing the Ft. Collins model, or we can keep opening dress and cupcake shops.
told yu so about 5 years ago
I’ve also enjoyed downtown Ft. Collins CO and agree. The big difference is it’s a downtown college with shops oriented toward 20 somethings. There’s coffee and informal theme shops. No cupcake stores but lots of marijuana brownies. South Dakota is one of only 5 states without some form of legal marijuana. It’s an informal open youthful culture DT here is missing. Sioux Falls DY is the place to be seen for upper middle class snobs and prowling unentertained teens. Munson wanted ice cream shops. Huether wants tennis types. What’s obvious is it’s fru fru gossip shops for doctor and banker wives. They need something so it’s not so obvious they’re privileged and spoiled. There are more people living downtown. How about a pharmacy and convenience store?
is always nice to see chamber and other DT org do ribbon cutting for when a new business opens, but it would also be respectful for them to stage little ceremony when they go out of business, or broke paying rent.
I am always amazed by these “Boutique Stories” that the local media does from time to time. In defense of them, i will chalk them up to a slow news day, but really who cares about how many boutique or cupcake stores there are in downtown Sioux Falls? We live in a town of rising crime, low wages, unaffordable housing, and where roughly half of our school kids qualify for reduce priced school lunches. So given that, who is really shopping at these boutique shops and are most of our local citizens really benefiting from them? Are we better off for them? Let them exist on their own, I say.
The duty of the media is not to look after boutique shops or chase down white trash tenants. The duty of the local media is to ask why employers in this town no longer mention their wage scales in employment ads? Why the Chamber helps to fund a study concerning affordable housing, while at the same time that same Chamber constantly opposes workers’ rights and minimum wage increases. Or whether it is good idea to have our community continually consumed by a growing health care conglomerate that owns restaurants and a basketball arena? Especially, when you recognize, that the best way to offer true health care to people and keep health care costs down is to further promote preventative cure and not the curative care industry that are local health care systems are surging forward with….. Now those would be some good stories….And I hope to see them in the future….. But I also hope, I am not shopping at a boutique or busy eating a cupcake when these stories are eventually done, however…. 😉
Hey, Hey, Hey. Sanford may never cure diabetes, but they have figured out how to make a bubblegum martini. Progress comes in baby steps 🙁
They’re not stores, they’re a sophisticated tax shelter. When you have a high income, you must show side business loss. Per IRS guidelines, you can show a loss 3 years before having to show a profit. Take mileage, gifts, entertainment, and unrealized 20% pilferage. Then take home office space for inventory and accounting. At the end of 3 years, either sell the business to a new $50 corporation. Then change names and move across the street for another 3 years of sheltered loss.
If you wanna get rich without TIF’s, you gotta cheat. It’s why some are rich but most are poor.
what is the turnover rate on the phillips avenue store fronts? and while lloyd gets another tif for their new project, how many businesses have actually opened in the first floor of the current tin buildings?
ugh lloyd again
slowly i turned step bah step
they make me furious and thats not a good thing
see you in church
iaal obg