May 23, 2025

A new independent coffee shop on North Minnesota Avenue hopes to deliver a big-city vibe with its handcrafted espresso drinks.

Shah Afrouzi has opened Voodoo Coffee Shop in a retail center at 1033 N. Minnesota Ave. He also owns the Shop N Cart and Neon Casino businesses in the same building.

“I wanted to create a space, a welcoming space,” he said of the coffee shop, where people can come to get good coffee, work, relax or socialize.

The name “Voodoo” has nothing to do with voodoo dolls or anything like that, Afrouzi said. He just wanted a different name that would set it apart from other coffee shops, to help build the vibe that he’s looking for and to attract people.

Having a coffee shop has been a longtime dream for Afrouzi, who didn’t have any experience as a barista, but he didn’t let that stop him.

“I didn’t know anything about coffee,” Afrouzi said. “I wanted to get into it, but I just didn’t know much about it, but then I just fell in love with the craft.”

Voodoo Coffee Shop manager Danica Emahazien, kitchen manager Madeline Encalada and owner Shah Afrouzi

Eventually, Afrouzi wants to roast his own coffee beans, but in the meantime he has worked with Coffea Roasterie to create a unique roast for Voodoo. A second darker roast is imported.

Voodoo also serves decaf coffee, tea, smoothies and freshers. Kitchen manager Madeline Encalada makes a breakfast and lunch item that changes daily. Offerings include things like breakfast pizza, waffles, burritos and wings.

“We haven’t really dialed in on the food so much because my main thing was coffee, but I do want to offer a little bit of something,” Afrouzi said.

He hopes to get a beer and wine license and set up a wine bar inside the coffee shop.

“My goal is to put a patio out here somewhere to have a big-city vibe where you can smoke hookah out there and have a coffee. In Miami and other places, they smoke cigars and have a cup of coffee, reading their newspaper and things like that.”

For now, Voodoo Coffee sells supplies for hookahs.

Eventually, he’d like to add Persian tea to honor his heritage and perhaps Turkish coffee.

“I need to bring some different stuff so people can try it. … Voodoo is all about being different. … So that’s what I want to offer in Sioux Falls. With all the people moving in here, the community is getting bigger, and I think with having different types of cultures, drinks and food items, it would be beautiful to be added to it.”

Voodoo Coffee’s hours are 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday.

Afrouzi is already looking for another location, likely in the central or east part of the city. The next one will have a drive-thru, he said.