Feb. 20, 2020

Rug & Relic plans to scale back its bricks-and-mortar presence and let the website that it built 10 years ago take over the majority of the work.

For 16 years, owners Steve Bormes and Tove Hoff-Bormes have been selling Turkish rugs, antiquities and other items imported from Turkey in their store along the boardwalk at the 8th & Railroad Center. The shop also serves as an art gallery, offering pieces created by Bormes and other regional artists.

When the couple launched their website, “I said our 10-year plan is I want this to become self-sustaining and adequate for business income that we don’t have to be in bricks-and-mortar retail anymore,” Hoff-Bormes said. “That was Feb. 10, 2010. Here we are, and apparently my 10-year plan is better than I thought it was.”

The business will remain at the location; however, the retail space will be open to another business, Hoff-Bormes said. There will be room for Rug & Relic to keep inventory in part of the space “without having to move lock, stock and barrel,” and Bormes plans to keep his art studio in the loading dock area that’s connected to the store. His repurposed metal and light sculptures have been part of SculptureWalk for several years.

While the focus of Rug & Relic will be selling merchandise online, the couple said they don’t want to abandon the relationships they’ve built with clients and interior designers in Sioux Falls. They will continue to work with them and envision having some type of outlet where shoppers can find merchandise. They’ll continue to travel to Turkey to source inventory, with a trip coming up in April.

For now, everything in the store is half-price.

“We’re not in a huge hurry, but I think things will go fast. The rugs are flying out of here,” Bormes said.