June 19, 2023

An online boutique plans to open its first physical location in downtown Sioux Falls.

Pasque Boutique has leased space at The Steel District, Lloyd Cos.’ new development on the former Sioux Steel property adjacent to Falls Park.

Owner Alicia Engelking started the boutique in the fall of 2019 with a business model of e-commerce and pop-up events. She slowed down during the pandemic but started up more intensely last summer.

“Throughout this whole time, I had been looking for a storefront and hadn’t really found anything I was really passionate about or loved or thought was the perfect fit,” she said.

She’d looked at locations with Raquel Blount, vice president of commercial real estate at Lloyd, and didn’t see a spot she liked until learning about The Steel District.

“And then after seeing that is when I decided I’d open the storefront,” Engelking said. “I fell in love with the location.”

She’s currently selling online and doing occasional pop-up shops, including one Thursday at The Social and one June 30 at a Sioux Falls Canaries game, with more coming up in the fall.

Engelking grew up in Luverne, Minnesota, and worked in retail throughout high school and college. She’s now a pediatric nurse, but “I always wanted to own my own store,” she said. “It’s something I’ve talked about since I was a teenager. I love being a nurse, so that’s something I always want to do, but this is also something that’s been a dream of mine, and I didn’t want to not ever pursue it.”

Pasque Boutique will lease about 1,600 square feet in a building wrapped around the development’s parking ramp, which also will include apartments and condominiums. Engelking sells women’s apparel and accessories that are designed for professional and casual wear, including pieces that can transition from work to evening and are available at a range of prices. She also sells gift items.

“I really want the store to be more than a store. I want it to be an experience,” she said. “I feel like the whole area will be an experience, with the Falls and the Jacobson Plaza and Levitt. So I want to have fun in-store activities to do. I will be in an area that has great foot traffic, and I want people to be able to spontaneously walk in and find something they love and can purchase.”

The plan is to open about a year from now.

The boutique is one of several retail tenants committing to space at The Steel District, Blount said.

“We have deals in progress with a restaurant, a salon and full-service spa, and an exciting gift shop, plus additional interest,” she said. “We’re very excited to add Pasque Boutique to The Steel District as it’s exactly the sort of retailer we envision having a lot of success here. The store is going to benefit from an incredible amount of visitors thanks to the hotel, the office development and the nearby residents, not to mention Falls Park and all the activity occurring in the area.”

Additional retail opportunities will be available in the area, she said.

“We’re planning for some future retail at The Steel District, and we occasionally have options at The Cascade and other downtown properties, but the takeaway here is that retailers are signing on early because they recognize the benefits they’re going to receive from opening at this location.”