July 11, 2024

It wasn’t the idea when they opened a home furnishings business, but Cole and Chelsea DeBoer’s store has drawn national interest.

They opened Down Home by DeBoers in Tea in late March and will hold a grand-opening celebration this weekend.

“It’s been really overwhelmingly good,” Chelsea DeBoer said of the store so far. “I feel like we’ve definitely felt so much support from the community, but also being right off the interstate, we get so many people on road trips or just passing by.”

The store is at 108 Venture St. in the Bakker Landing development in the same retail center as Starbucks — just west of the Tea exit on Interstate 29.

The merchandise mix ranges from furniture and rugs to lighting, home decor and gift items.

“What we’re seeing is people really like kind of a Western feel,” DeBoer said. “They are loving cowhide accents, and they are really embracing the South Dakota modern vibe we really wanted to create here. The store leans very much into our personal style, and it’s fun to see people are leaning into that.”

While HGTV has not confirmed that there will be a third season of the couple’s home renovation show “Down Home Fab,” the DeBoers are looking for home improvement projects to work on and will be handing out information about their business at the store.

While not confirming it’s tied to “Down Home Fab,” the casting agency that worked on the second season is looking for homeowners in Sioux Falls or within a 30-mile radius who are looking to renovate their home as part of an eight-episode series. If interested, here’s a link to information and the application.

The store’s grand opening will be Saturday, beginning with a ticketed VIP event that is drawing attendees from hundreds of miles away.

“People have bought tickets from Florida, Texas, Canada, so people are coming to Sioux Falls from far away,” DeBoer said. “And I really think that’s cool because they’re coming for the event, but they’re going to be in Sioux Falls, and I hope they dive in and go out to eat at restaurants and see other small businesses. I really hope they leave with an appreciation for our area.”

The public event is free and doesn’t require tickets. It will be from 3 to 8 p.m. and include a DJ, flower bar, bartending from The Carpenter Bar Group, a build-your-own charcuterie from Cultivated in Love, Stensland Family Farms ice cream and food trucks Backyard BBQ and Taqueria Sanchez.

“It’s just going to be a fun event,” DeBoer said. “We really want people to come see the store and the hard work we’ve put in, but I hope people come even if they have nothing to do on a Saturday afternoon and want to have a good time because that’s really what this is all about.”

The store also has the couple taking on a bit of their own remodeling work after an SUV accidentally drove into the front of it about a month ago. No one was hurt, and damage to merchandise was minimal.

“It was a total accident and a very sweet lady, and I’m not even sure what happened — I don’t think she even really knows,” DeBoer said. “You would have never prepared for that, but I think it adds a little character to the front of the building for the big grand opening. We’re just embracing it, and it’s part of the story of the first few months.”

The DeBoers increasingly have connected within the Sioux Falls area, staging a loft at Cherapa Place for the Downtown Loft Tour that resulted in selling almost all the merchandise they displayed there.

“We’ve used it as a side showroom because it’s different seeing things in a store versus a home environment,” DeBoer said. “So that was a cool way to show people what we can do at the store in a styled way.”

The in-person events and the physical storefront have allowed the couple to meet their audience in new ways, she added.

“To me, I’m just so grateful people are taking time out of their day to come check out our store,” she said. “If they’re excited to meet us, sometimes that just makes me feel good. I don’t feel like I’m anything special, but if that can bring a smile to someone’s face, that’s kind of a cool feeling. But I’ll never get used to it.”