Oct. 5, 2022

One of the city’s most iconic business murals has been repainted.

Elegant Mommy, a Sioux Falls retail store that markets products to new and expecting parents at 207 W. 37th St., commissioned a new mural, which was finished in September.

The original mural was painted in 2016 to beautify the exterior of the building and attract more traffic.

“The location that this building is in, it’s hard to find it,” said Lindsey Auch, co-owner of Elegant Mommy. “So when people drive by, they see the mural and realize that this building is actually something to stop at. It brings attention to the building, and once people see it, they want to know what’s inside.”

While the mural still depicts images of milestone parenting moments, it’s an elevated design that showcases the “elegant” in Elegant Mommy, Auch said. She co-owns the store with Ashley Auch.

The new mural images include a mom walking with her children, a caretaker holding a child’s hand and a mother with a newborn baby.

The business rebranded about three years ago and wanted to give the outside of the building “a new life” to showcase the focus of the business and include the new images that expand the idea of parenthood past motherhood.

“The mural really speaks that it’s all stages of motherhood and parenthood from a newborn all the way up to children,” Auch said. “We’re a kid-friendly store, and we want to encompass all ages and families, wherever that may be.”

The business hired Jillian Gunlicks, a local artist who focuses on murals and wedding portraiture, to repaint the building. It took about a week to paint the mural, which honors the original with similar line drawings.

“I’m a single mom, so it’s fun to do a subject matter that means a lot to me,” Gunlicks said. “My child is 13 now, but the picture of the little hand holding the finger? It just touches your heart and makes you feel good because you remember those moments.”

Gunlicks, who has been painting murals across Sioux Falls for nearly four years, also has her signature on the Sioux Falls Wings in the Cathedral District, a mural in progress on the side of Jane Rae Events in downtown Sioux Falls and many more.

One of her recent murals in addition to Elegant Mommy is at the newly opened medical marijuana business The Flower Shop, which has garnered plenty of praise on social media.

“Murals are able to reach people in an everyday setting,” Gunlicks said. “Any time you see a mural, you get happy and think it’s so cool. That’s the reason I paint these murals. When you paint portraits that go inside peoples’ homes, it doesn’t reach as many people. If you paint out in public, it’s a random sighting that can make someone’s day.”

More and more businesses are choosing to decorate the sides of their buildings with murals, following Elegant Mommy’s original one in 2016, Gunlicks said.

“I think it draws a lot of attention to your place, and that’s a good thing to add,” she said. “People think it’s fun. It’s something to talk about or take photos in front of and get recognition.”