An online boutique plans to open its first physical location in downtown Sioux Falls.
Pasque Boutique has leased space at The Steel District, Lloyd Companies' new development on the former Sioux Steel property adjacent to Falls Park.
Owner Alicia Engelking started the boutique in the fall of 2019 with a business model of e-commerce and pop-up events. She slowed down during the pandemic but started up more intensely last summer.
"Throughout this whole time I had been looking for a storefront and hadn't really found anything I was really passionate about, loved or thought was the perfect fit," she said.
She'd looked at locations with Raquel Blount, Lloyd's Vice President of Commercial Real Estate, and didn't see a spot she liked until learning about The Steel District.
"And then after seeing, that is when I decided I'd open the storefront," Engelking said. "I fell in love with the location."
Pasque Boutique will lease about 1,600 square feet in the building wrapped around the development's parking ramp, which also includes apartments and condominiums. Engelking sells apparel, accessories and gift items for women designed for professional and casual wear, including pieces that can transition from work to evening and are available at a range of prices.
"I really want the store to be more than a store. I want it to be an experience," she said. "I feel like the whole area will be an experience, with the Falls and the Jacobson Plaza and Levitt. So I want to have fun in-store activities to do. I will be an area that has great foot traffic and I want people who will be able to spontaneously walk in and find something they love and can purchase."
The plan is to open about a year from now. She's currently selling online and doing occasional pop-up shops, including one at The Social on June 22 and one at a Sioux Falls Canaries game on June 30, with more coming up in the fall.
The boutique is one of several retail tenants committing to space at The Steel District, Blount said.
"We have deals in progress with a restaurant, a salon and full-service spa, and an exciting gift shop, plus additional interest," she said. "We're very excited to add Pasque Boutique to the Steel District, as it's exactly the sort of retailer we envision having a lot of success here. The store is going to benefit from an incredible amount of visitors, thanks to the hotel, the office development and the nearby residents, not to mention Falls Park and all the activity occurring in the area."
There will be additional retail opportunities in the area, she said.
"We're planning for some future retail at The Steel District and we occasionally have options at The Cascade and other downtown properties, but the takeaway here is that retailers are signing on early because they recognize the benefits they're going to receive from opening at this location."