Dec. 15, 2020

Selfie Wrld Sioux Falls, which offers a dozen interactive art installations designed as backdrops for photographs, has opened in The Empire Mall. Tickets are good for one hour. Hours are 2 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, noon to 9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.

A new Wendy’s will be part of the Dawley Farm Village development on land next to the shared First Bank & Trust and Coffea Roasterie building. Construction is expected to begin in early spring, with the restaurant opening a few months later.

Hy-Vee is bringing its smaller-scale Dollar Fresh concept to Harrisburg. The Iowa-based grocer has applied for an off-sale liquor license and said details about the store will be available early next year.

A chef whose career has taken him from Chicago to Denver to Washington, D.C., is opening a restaurant in The Market’s former space downtown. Bryan Moscatello is in the process of renovating the space near Sixth and Phillips. While he’s still working through the menu development and picking a name for the restaurant, his Italian heritage will be part of it as will his passion for locally sourced ingredients, he said.

New York-style pizza is available by the slice or whole pie at the new Pizza Cheeks in The Hello Hi, a new cocktail lounge in downtown on Phillips Avenue. The pizza window is the creation of the owners of Bread & Circus Sandwich Kitchen. The full menu is available from 4 to 10 p.m. daily, and pizza by the slice is served from opening “until we run out of pizza or just decide to close it down.”

A Nebraska laboratory has opened a drive-thru COVID-19 rapid testing center in Sioux Falls. GS Labs is at 3801 W. 34th St. Testing is available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Appointment booking is required online at gslabstesting.com. The test costs $109 without insurance and $49 with insurance.

Chicago natives who moved to Sioux Falls seven years ago have started a food truck featuring Chicago-style hot dogs. Windy City Bites is owned by DaShawn and Samantha Lewis. The menu includes jerk chicken tacos, and the Lewises plan to expand their Caribbean and soul food offerings next year. Windy City Bites is available for catering.

With the departure of CEO Kelby Krabbenhoft, Sanford Health has indefinitely suspended conversations about a planned merger with Utah-based Intermountain Healthcare. “With this leadership change, it’s an important time to refocus our efforts internally as we assess the future direction of our organization,” new CEO Bill Gassen said. “We continue to prioritize taking care of our patients, our people and the communities we serve as we look to shape our path forward.”

National retailer Pet Supplies Plus is planning to build a store between Silverstar Car Wash and Tires Tires Tires along West 26th Street. In the fall, the company announced 36 franchise agreements, accounting for 59 new stores across the country.

Chipotle Mexican Grill has opened in the new Empire Place development in front of The Empire Mall. Because of the pandemic, the restaurant is open only for takeout. Customers can order online, in the lobby or through the drive-up. It’s open from 10:45 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

Jono’s at 1700 W. Burnside St. has closed but eventually will reopen under new ownership. Renae Sefrana, who has owned the bar with her husband, Joe, for 13 years, said the buyer did not want to be identified yet. The sale is set to be completed Thursday.

Builder’s Millwork & Window is expanding to keep up with construction growth in the Sioux Falls area. The supplier of interior trim, windows, doors, cabinetry and counter tops is combining its Sioux Falls showroom and Tea warehouse in the former Campbell Supply building at 3101 E. 10th St. that it purchased. Builder’s Millwork hopes to be in its new home by Aug. 1.

The simple menu of the new food truck Old Skool Jersey Rippers & Balls is a tribute to the northern New Jersey roots of owners Francisco Gajardo and his father-in-law, Ron LePree.  Rippers are all-beef hot dogs fried in peanut oil until the skin rips open and are served Italian style, and the balls are arancini, or fried rice balls, that originated in Sicily. Gajardo and LePree plan to run the truck as much as possible this winter, and they offer catering.

A Minnesota-based company is building a new facility in Sioux Falls. B&F Fastener Supply is a full industrial supply distributor. The company is building a 25,000-square-foot building in a Sioux Falls Development Foundation development park near 60th Street North and Interstate 229. It’s currently at 1601 W. Rice St. Construction is slated to start soon, with the new location opening next year.

A four-story, $28 million addition to Avera Behavioral Health Center will include more space for children and 24-hour psychiatric urgent care. The 60,000-square-foot project on West 69th Street also will include residential addiction care for youth and partial hospitalization space for adults, including seniors. Construction is expected to start yet this year, with the building opening in early 2022.

Matt Paulson of MarketBeat, a Dakota State University alumnus, has become the namesake of a new center for incubation and entrepreneurship at the Madison school. Paulson and his wife, Karine, will donate $300,000 toward The Paulson Cyber Incubator and Entrepreneurial Center. It will provide tech-transfer, entrepreneurship and startup guidance for intellectual property coming out of the Madison Cyber Labs and the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization student club on campus. The center also will provide pre-seed capital to select startup businesses that come out of the university.

The first of four Japanese-Hawaiian fusion restaurants in Sioux Falls has opened. Poke Picks is in the former RedRossa space on Western Avenue south of 41st Street. Poke Picks brings the Hawaiian tradition of poke, or raw fish such as tuna and salmon, alongside Japanese cuisine such as sushi and shabu-shabu, more commonly known as hot pot. Owner Kent Chan plans to open three more locations in the coming months, with a downtown spot opening in January, an east-side 10th Street restaurant in February and a spot near 57th Street and Western Avenue in March.

Wednesday is the final day for Justice in The Empire Mall. Owner Ascena Retail Group filed for bankruptcy in July and sold Justice’s intellectual property and other brand assets to brand management company Bluestar Alliance. The new owner is expected to continue Justice as an e-commerce business and license the brand to other retailers.

Streetwear fashion company Wake by Tyler Blake is having a pop-up shop Friday and Saturday at 8th & Railroad Center. In addition to exclusive merchandise, The Wake Showroom will offer speakers highlighting the business’ mission to foster growth, self-awareness and self-love. There will be DJs, an open mic and VIP experiences that include a personal stylist and a photo by Jake Photography.  Hours are 5:45 to 11 p.m. Friday and 3 to 11 p.m. Saturday. Masks are required.

Butterfly Boutique is closing its storefront at 2119 S. Minnesota Ave. Owner Carrie Thompson is returning the business to a home-based one while she evaluates potential new locations.