Oct. 20, 2023

A downtown Sioux Falls restaurateur has opened another business, one that focuses on the Christmas spirit instead of smoothies.

In fact, that is what Sinan Taskin has named his seasonal holiday shop. Christmas Spirit, which opened earlier this month on West 41st Street, offers items focused on making the yuletide season happier and more sparkly.

“I thought there’s a need in the market for personalized Christmas items,” Taskin said. “People can get ornaments in many places, but they want something that’s personal. And I come from a Christian family, and I was inspired by the holiday spirit.”

In addition to ornaments, Taskin also can personalize Christmas stockings with laser-engraved name tags. Christmas Spirit also offers handmade gifts, children’s toys, video games, snow globes and holiday-themed photographs and paintings with winter scenes and cardinals.

Taskin also operates Aqua Fresh, which serves smoothies, juice and paninis in the Frontier Bank building at 101 S. Phillips Ave., and several kiosks in The Empire Mall.

He plans to keep Christmas Spirit open until the end of the year and hopes to bring it back every autumn.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the weekend. Christmas Spirit is at 41st Street and Western Avenue, next to PepperJax Grill in the Western Centre.