June 23, 2025

Tucked between a central Sioux Falls neighborhood and an interstate is a slim strip of mismatched businesses. They share a narrow parking lot and back up against a storage shed company.

They sell pet supplies, flowers and ice cream.

It’s an unusual combination in an unusual business strip in an area of town that will see steady construction for the next two years.

Carla’s Flower Farm, Polar Bites and Roxi & Co. share a strip of asphalt on 41st Street just west of where Cliff Avenue is closed to create the new Interstate 229 interchange. While all three business owners welcome the improved traffic flow the completed project will create, they also said the closure of Cliff has been hard on business.

“After school was out at Lincoln and they closed Cliff Avenue, the southeastern part of town couldn’t really access us,” said Carla Michel, who has owned Carla’s Flower Farm for seven years. “Our flower friends know we’re here, but we need others to know we’re open.”

Michel, surrounded by colorful hanging baskets and pots of native grasses waiting for their forever home, said she ordered a bit less than usual this year, wondering what kind of impact the construction would have. She still has plenty of inventory and said it isn’t too late to plant flowers or buy hanging baskets – or replacement baskets if you forgot to water the ones you bought in spring.

As seasonal businesses, Carla’s Flower Farm and Polar Bites rely on just a few months of sales to stay afloat.

“There’s construction all over town,” Michel said. She wants people to know it’s not that difficult to get to the strip — you can come off Minnesota Avenue headed east on 41st– and with less through-traffic, the experience is more peaceful.

Telly Rollinger bought the pet store about five years ago, though he has been in the pet industry for more than 15 years. Like Michel, he had to weather the pandemic as a business owner.

“It was an ‘oh crap’ moment buying a business,” Rollinger said. But Roxi & Co. was able to stay open and help people, even with a few supply chain issues. Then, of course, people were home from work and bought pets, then went back to work and surrendered them to the shelter and rescue organizations. Through it all, Rollinger and team hosted rescue events to help find homes for pets.

Now, there’s inflation, tariffs and construction.

“One of our vendors said it’s a shock we’re still in retail with all the stuff we’ve had to navigate,” Rollinger said. “It’s been an interesting ride.”

The pet industry tends to be resilient, he said, but it’s not immune. He said his customers are still finding a way to the shop – and the business has started taking more orders online and over the phone and offering same-day delivery to remain competitive and provide an easy service for customers.

“We saw a drop, but I’m glad the city is doing the work and investing in a core neighborhood,” Rollinger said. “It’s bittersweet. I’m glad they’re doing it, but I wish it were just a weeklong project.”

Matt Rooney, who owns Polar Bites with his wife, Jessica, agrees. The rolled ice cream and frozen treat shop opened just before the pandemic and made it through. He knew the construction was coming and hopes his customers are loyal, like they have been.

“We knew it was coming, and I’m excited for it to be finished,” Rooney said. “We are approaching it like we did the pandemic – we don’t know what’s going to happen, but we’re going to keep trying and give our customers the treats they love.”

Hint: It’s probably the Shark Attack.

Rooney said they haven’t been shy about asking customers to remember Polar Bites during this time. They put out a call on social media and saw an immediate uptick in business.

“It was a night-and-day difference,” Rooney said. “People showed up. I know people are going out of their way to find us, and it’s a blessing to us. I feel a profound sense of gratitude.”

Making it beautiful

As part of the road project, the city also will redo the asphalt, curb and gutter. With that looming, Rollinger began looking at how to improve his part of the block.

Rollinger got to looking at the boulevard, where the city had taken out some ash trees and where weeds were slowly taking over. He approached Michel and said he wanted to do something to make it beautiful. He already had put in planters in front of Roxie & Co. last year, and now it was time to think about the real estate along 41st Street. “I’m just trying to be a good neighbor,” Rollinger said.

Together, they began talking about native plants and what would be beautiful, hardy and low-maintenance.

“Telly said, ‘Our boulevard looks sad, do you have any ideas?’ And, of course, I have ideas,” Michel said with a laugh.

The first draft called for about 500 plants. But in the end? He and Michel planted more than 700 – a few annuals but mostly perennials like little blue stem and prairie dropseed.

“Native perennials are my passion, and it will be a beautiful display garden, bringing pollinators and just beautiful to look at,” Michel said.

Rollinger agrees.

“It’s going to be so cool when it’s done,” Rollinger said. “I love the whole native idea. It’s just easy and low maintenance and good for the environment. It’s right along 41st, so you get all that road salt. I wanted something that will hold up.”

Michel said providing something beautiful in every season will improve not just the look of the area but also the experience for shoppers. She hopes to add more residential garden planning to her plate this year, specializing in native, sustainable planting.

“There are people, like me, who have that passion, and I want to work with them,” Michel said. “They want to be outdoors and in awe of the pollinators and butterflies and the small things.”

Building community

Rollinger said he, Michel and Rooney are their own little business district. “It helps that it’s the three of us, and we kind of mesh together and create our own neighborhood,” Rollinger said. “I get along well with them.”

He said Rooney is always willing to participate in events and help out. Michel recommends books for him to read.

Rooney said he has loved getting to know Michel and Rollinger – and showing his often young employees what it looks like to be a small-business owner and work with other small businesses. “I didn’t realize what a great thing local business was until I got into it,” Rooney said. “We’ve made so many good friends.”

And the three of them help each other.

“We’ve gotten so many customers from Carla,” Rooney said. “And some of our customers realize they can get pet food or flowers over here. It’s been such a benefit.”

“We’re just three small businesses trying to give back to the community,” Rollinger said.