Oct. 17, 2024

They’re swapping tacos for sausages at the Jones421 Building, among other changes at the downtown marketplace.

The mixed-use building at 421 N. Phillips Ave. has several new tenants that will be opening up before the holiday season — beginning potentially as soon as next week.

Chef Ryan Tracy is bringing Dakota Craft Links to the former Flying Santo Taco Bar space.

The former owner of Bros Brasserie Americano downtown used to make his own andouille, Italian sausage and bratwurst.

“It’s something I’ve been doing since I was a kid, making sausage, and I’ve gotten better through the years,” he said, adding that the idea for a small restaurant focused on sausage has been in his head for a while.

“But I really wanted to get into selling my sausage retail, direct to consumer, and this space opened up … and happened to be the right fit and the right time,” he said.

“I’m trying to do a retail market that has a little bit of a restaurant. The restaurant itself will have between three to five items on the menu that will rotate whenever I feel like it.”

The restaurant side will offer “hot sausage ready to go on a bun, and they’ll be composed with different toppings, all chef-driven, and it will change frequently,” Tracy said. “I’m going to smoke sausage, do fresh sausage, and then if everything works out right, I’ll be able to expand to doing all kinds of sausage and bring in cheese.”

He plans to sell sausage to take home and prepare, along with buns, spice rubs and sauces that he made at Bros Brasserie, which closed at the end of 2018.

“The biggest thing I’m planning on doing is my pork belly in large-plank format, so you can take it home and thaw it in a pan and heat it and enjoy it at home,” he said. “Eventually, I want to have some raw cuts of meat I like — I call them character cuts — so cuts you don’t always find at a butcher shop.”

While the timing isn’t locked in, he’s aiming to open Dakota Craft Links by the end of the month.

Elsewhere in Jones421, a retail store specializing in jewelry and global luxury items will be opening by the holiday season.

Yvonne Jiew is opening Couture in the space that most recently was Sera Bella Crystals & Spa.

Jiew moved to Sioux Falls three years ago from New York City looking for a better environment for her kids. She was born in Malaysia, grew up in Australia and has owned a wholesale gem and jewelry business for more than 20 years, selling worldwide to nearly 1,000 retailers.

“I specialize in big colors — sapphires, rubies, emeralds, opals, and there isn’t anything like this in Sioux Falls or really in the Midwest,” she said. “Sioux Falls happens to be the place in which I live, but we’re trying to service all the Midwest states around us.”

She travels to up to 30 global destinations annually and will be bringing back other items to sell that she sources in her travels. That could include luxury handbags and scarves, as well as high-end natural and organic soaps and perfumes.

“We want a very inviting environment, and that’s why we chose Jones421,” Jiew said. “I like the community feel. I like the whole very California, laid-back feel to it. I’m from Australia, and we’re very beach-oriented, so I don’t think luxury and a sort of communal environment should be exclusive. I don’t want to get into a situation where people feel like they can’t come in or touch anything or ask questions. The idea is to have luxury that’s attainable.”

Finally, a new pop-up will be coming for the holiday season, selling gift items such as honey, candles and soap.

“I wanted it full for Christmas,” said Sheila Hazard, building co-owner and property manager.

The new businesses will join Swamp Daddy’s Cajun Kitchen, which recently reopened after being closed for much of the year for repairs, and several other newcomers: 1st Gen HQ, an artist-driven clothing concept that opened earlier this year; pet boutique The Tail That Got Away; North End Bakery & Deli; and Hunnid Stylez Barbershop & Clothing Store.

Swamp Daddy’s Cajun Kitchen reopens downtown