Nyberg’s Ace to open downtown store

By Jodi Schwan

Kevin Nyberg has wanted to open a Nyberg’s Ace Hardware in downtown Sioux Falls for several years.

And now that he has found a spot – the former Sid’s Crown Liquor – it has become clear that this was meant to be his new location.

The original Texaco Super Service Station building at 330 S. First Ave. dates back to 1929 – the same year Ace Corp. was founded.

Image of future Nyberg's Ace Hardware location

Renovation work has started to turn the former Sid’s Crown Liquor store into a downtown location for Nyberg’s Ace Hardware.

At 5,700 square feet, it’s about the same size as Nyberg’s father, Roy’s, first Ace store in Sioux Falls back in 1958.

And then there’s the connection to the legendary Sid Epstein, who ran the downtown liquor store for almost six decades.

“Sid Epstein was a friend of my dad’s and a good customer of mine,” Nyberg said. “When I was on the sales floor at 41st and Minnesota, Sid would come in all the time because he lived in that neighborhood.”

Epstein knew something about the hardware business, too. As a young man, he worked at his father’s store, Epstein Hardware, in New Jersey.

“We’ve got pictures of Sid working in a hardware store,” Nyberg said.

Those photos and the Sid’s signs hanging outside the building will be part of the new Ace when the downtown store opens.

“And we’ll probably do some things with Texaco inside of the store,” Nyberg added.

The future Ace Hardware in downtown Sioux Falls.

“We’re trying to keep it aesthetically the same as much as we can. There’s some beautiful rafters on the Sid’s side that we’re going to expose for an open ceiling on the north side of the building. The exterior stays because both buildings are on the National Historic Register, so we can’t do much other than signage on the outside of the buildings. We’re excited. It’s going to be fun.”

While the personal ties are meaningful, there’s also a solid business case for the location, Nyberg said. It includes 16 parking spaces. It’s not far from Phillips Avenue and 11th Street, and it serves a growing number of downtown-area residents and businesses.

“It’s becoming more vibrant every day, and because of that we’d like to be a part of it,” Nyberg said. “You’ve got 2,500 residents living there, but there’s 11,000 employees on their way home from work who may need a key cut or a paint brush or a bottle of weed control, and we’re going to be there to help them out. Then there’s 580 businesses downtown. So we’re going to be catering to them. And there’s a vibrant neighborhood south toward Lyon Park and McKennan Park.”

Because it’s smaller than the other four Ace stores in Sioux Falls, the mix of merchandise will be “up to the ceiling” and “a unique selection of items catering to downtown,” Nyberg said.

“I think we’re going to have to listen a lot to what people are going to ask for down there. It’s not the size of the other stores, but we can draw off other stores if we need to.”

He’s also giving “some serious thought” to expanding his popular kayak rental business to the new store.

“It would be a great location for renting kayaks,” he said.

Crews have started demolition, and the plan is to open in late June.

“We’re going to move fast, and we think we can get it done,” Nyberg said.

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Nyberg’s Ace to open downtown store

Nybert’s Ace Hardware plans to open a store in the former Sid’s Crown Liquor.

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