Dec. 16, 2019

CH Patisserie is about to look, feel and offer something even more unique to downtown Sioux Falls.

Owners Chris and Caryn Hanmer are planning an extensive renovation starting right after Christmas that will give the store at 309 S. Phillips Ave. a more European flair and allow for even more culinary creativity.

“It’s very much a rebirth of the space,” Chris Hanmer said.

“We love the way CH looks, and we’re so thankful for it, but this is a much more authentic version of what we wanted.”

When they opened seven years ago, they had just arrived from Las Vegas with a U-Haul and a limited budget, he said.

“We did the very best we could in the beginning, and we love it, but we’ve always enjoyed a very warm and clean aesthetic, so that will carry through this time,” he said. “I think more so. We have the ability to expose our walls. We’re exposing the ceiling. We’re completely redoing the floors.”

The building will be 120 years old next year, so Hanmer said he anticipates “we might get into some fun stuff” as decades of changes are uncovered.

The new design calls for reconfigured seating to allow for places to meet and work, with plug-in areas, a built-in bench and high and low seating.

“We want it to be a place where people can come have a treat or get work done or meet friends,” he said.

The display cases will be a more jewelry-style layout, which is what’s found in Europe, Hanmer said.

“Things are displayed more visually,” he said. “We wanted that years ago but weren’t able to achieve it.”

There will be more food to display too. He anticipates increasing the signature macaron line by up to 40 percent.

There also will be espresso and a signature coffee drink line.

“We’re also going to do a cold sandwich line. We have wonderful croissants and brioche, so you can come in and we’ll have a prepared sandwich ready to go,” Hanmer said. “We can do catering for pickup, so offices can order sandwiches and macarons. We wouldn’t have done sandwiches unless it was to my standards. I wasn’t ready seven years ago. And now I have the team around me and can do an excellent sandwich with excellent ingredients.”

Opening Parlour Ice Cream House downtown allowed him to “become a lot more free and just have fun,” he added. “I’m having more fun creatively in my career than I ever have, and Parlour was a huge bridge to that.”

The hope is to be done with construction sometime in February, but the store will continue to offer its best-selling items throughout the project. It might have to close briefly during some phases but largely will be open.

“We truly are humbled and love our guests, and we are going to be there through this process the very best we can,” Hanmer said. “We would love our guests to continue to support us during construction. We’re doing all this for them. We’re going all in again.”