Look inside the downtown Jones421 marketplace

Jan. 5, 2018

Del’Inkka Beaudion wants guests to feel like they’re stepping into a Louisiana courtyard when they enter Swamp Daddy’s Cajun Kitchen.

“We wanted to bring people to New Orleans … not only to taste the flavors but to create the atmosphere,” said Beaudion, who began her restaurant in a food truck with her mother-in-law, Gwendolyn.

“We feel that will help add to the experience and make the food taste even better.”

The restaurant will be one of the first three tenants to open in the Jones421 marketplace Saturday, Jan. 6, at 421 N. Phillips Ave.

Though she worked until 2 a.m. getting her space ready one night this week, Beaudion was back at it hours later.

She has finalized the menu – a larger one than on the food truck but still a relatively small selection of items, including specials and seasonal rotations.

She’s trying to hire. So far, she has enough people to serve lunch from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, but the hope is to expand hours with staff.

And she’s getting to know her neighbors, who are other family-business owners.

“We’re excited about who’s here and about the potential with all the spaces and variety and atmosphere,” she said.

The Swamp Daddy’s space opens to a common seating area that connects it with the other new tenants opening this weekend: The Source Coffee Roastery + Taproom and Game Chest.

“I love it,” said Kristin Chau, whose family owns The Source.

The coffee shop’s product hasn’t changed from the Black Sheep days, she said. It’s still small-based roasted coffee and specialty coffees sourced worldwide.

The big difference is the beer.

The Source features a self-serve “tap wall,” where high-tech meets evolving tastes.

Customers wear an electronic bracelet that interacts with a digital display on each tap. They can touch a screen to learn more about the brew and then pour as much as they’d like. The bracelet tracks ounces poured and tallies up the final bill.

“It’s just like a bar with an open tab and a huge network behind it,” Chau said. “It’s meant to be an individual experience where you’re in full control.”

The system is the first of its kind in Sioux Falls, she said.

The Source will serve bagels, muffins and biscotti with its coffee and a bruschetta board and meat-and-cheese assortment later in the day.

The focus isn’t food, though.

“The whole point of the space is to support other businesses in the market, so we’re focusing on the craft and sourcing, and we’re hoping to support the other businesses,” Chau said.

Hours are 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Odds are at least some beverage-drinkers also will be playing board games in the marketplace.

The Source overlooks Game Chest across the hall. It’s owned by Ben and Amanda Wermers and started off with a pop-up shop downtown for the holiday season.

“It far exceeded our expectations,” Amanda Wermers said. “We just hoped we could afford to pay the bills, and it was better than that.”

The inventory in the new space is bigger, “and we’ve gotten a feel for what people are wanting,” she said.

Game Chest also will start renting out games from a list of 25 that will grow.

Being in the new space is “awesome,” Wermers added. “We’re really excited. It’s been a long time coming, and we’re just glad to finally be in our space the way we envisioned it.”

Hours are 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.

All three businesses are in the newly constructed portion of the Jones421 building.

Those leasing in the attached historic section to the north will be opening in the next couple of months. They include Bella Rosa flower shop, Boki Gelato and a Mediterranean grill.

Lavender Skies, a massage therapy business, plans to open near the center of the space in March.

The first floor shares a center courtyard, which will offer outdoor seating in nicer weather.

Condo sales update

The upper floors of Jones421 are condominiums. Of the 32 available, 23 have sold and one is pending.

The eight left range from one-bedroom to three-bedroom units and from $242,000 to $740,000.

“We feel the better-than-expected success of sales can be attributed to the wide range in socioeconomic demographics the project provided to the market,” said Craig Markhardt, who is marketing the condos. “That can also be combined with the availability of preferred financing that Frontier Bank put together for the qualified buyers of the condos.

“The residents have been pleased at the efficiency of the building’s mechanical systems and have found utility bills to be coming in under their estimated budget,” he added. “They love the unique qualities of their condos and have welcomed the sense of community among the owners.”

The owners have held gatherings in the building to get to know each other, he added, and enjoyed entertaining in a downtown setting.

“An owner mentioned that she loves how comfortable and easy it is to live there, giving her the freedom to focus on her hobbies and interests outside of work,” Markhardt said. “The residents love the sense of community, living in the downtown setting and, overall, are very surprised at how quiet their condos have been in an urban setting.”

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Look inside the downtown Jones421 marketplace

The first businesses in the Jones421 marketplace are ready to open. Here’s a peek inside.

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