June 22, 2023

A century-old building on downtown’s east side is coming back to life with a coffee shop and florist moving in this year.

Dave Syverson purchased the building at 1010 E. Eighth St. with a partner and was hopeful retailers would see the potential in opening on the edge of downtown’s redevelopment.

Two said yes.

Daylily Coffee and In Flower have leased the two available spaces in the building and are starting construction.

Daylily, which is leasing the west side of the building, was founded by Andrew Fritz and Ariana Vandersnick about a year ago, mostly selling its roasted coffee beans online. The couple met working in the Sioux Falls coffee industry several years ago, moved to Portland, Oregon, and came back last year to be closer to family — with the idea of starting a business.

“We really wanted to spearhead something new in the community, something really lively and fun with just the emphasis on people and connections,” Vandersnick said. “It’s something we both felt has been missing somewhat in our own experience.”

They drew inspiration from their time in Portland and plan to turn their downtown location into a space for roasting with some hours open to the public.

“It will be fairly small, like a tasting room versus a full cafe, but there will be seating,” Vandersnick said.

The coffee beans are sourced through relationships Fritz has worldwide, she said.

“They keep us in contact with new small farms or people they know are actively selling, and we get to reach out more personally and begin those relationships,” she said.

She specializes in baked goods, which Daylily also will offer, including vegan and gluten-free choices.

“I do four or five items, one savory, one or two gluten-free or vegan, usually in the realm of croissants or little tartlets,” she said. “I like cookies and cakes. It’ll be consistently, and weekly we’ll have hours people can come in, but it won’t be a fully staffed cafe all week long.”

They live near downtown and said they’re looking forward to investing in this area of the city.

“Development is happening that way. It hasn’t quite reached so far, but perhaps we can be more of a staple in that neighborhood,” Vandersnick said. “It’s a beautiful building. It’s gorgeous, and it’s the proper size, and we’re just excited about the logistics of it and … are looking forward to helping build up this neighborhood.”

Daylily Coffee hopes to begin roasting in July and open to the public shortly after that — sometime this summer.

“We believe they will do very well since there’s increasing retail traffic in the neighborhood and there’s no coffee shops in the area now,” Syverson said. “They are a young, entrepreneurial couple with experience in the business, and we think this space will be a warm and welcoming place for local coffee aficionados to check out.”

Next door, Stephanie Disse decided to move her floral business to the neighborhood after she happened to drive by.

“I’ve looked at a couple spaces but wasn’t actively pursuing it, and I happened to drive by one day and thought, ‘That place looks cute,’ and it seemed right,” she said. “I just like the area. I used to work at 8th (&Railroad Center), and it’s a little farther, and something about it just felt right. I’m going with my instincts.”

She opened In Flower in 2019 after working in the floral and home decor industry. She sells dried flowers online and, thanks to social media, has expanded her business to ship nationwide.

“We do these dried disco ball arrangements, and they always sell out super fast,” she said.

At the downtown store, she plans to offer both dried and fresh floral arrangements, both for walk-in and custom orders.

“I want to do a dried flower bar and add some home decor and gifts that go along with gifting flowers,” Disse said. “I’m really excited.”

She plans to move the business from a studio space and hopes to be open by early fall.

Both businesses represent strong additions to a growing neighborhood, said Raquel Blount of Lloyd Cos., who brokered the property.

“I’m absolutely thrilled we got a coffee shop and a flower shop in the building,” she said. “I got a lot of calls on it — an African grocery store, a small little bar — there was a lot of eclectic interest, which is great. You need that.”

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