This paid piece is sponsored by Experience Sioux Falls, formerly the Sioux Falls Convention & Visitors Bureau.

It was about a month into the start of the pandemic, and Candace Hindson had to do something.

About her hair.

“During the shutdown the lady who was doing my hair closed her shop, as did all of them,” said Hindson, who lives in Green Lake, Wisconsin, about six hours from Sioux Falls.

“I waited a couple weeks and couldn’t stand it anymore.”

Her husband, Paul, needed a haircut too. An online search revealed they could get one in Sioux Falls.

And when Paul called Sola Salon Studios, local owner Steve Schoepp answered.

“We worked it out within 15 minutes,” Hindson said. “I thought that was, from a business point of view, really good. You have to have contact as quick as possible.”

It turned out to be “a great connection,” Schoepp said. “During the pandemic, because we were the only area that really was open around Minnesota, North Dakota and Iowa, we were getting people that would call and travel that distance to get their hair done. I would be getting 10 to 15 calls a day for a month.”

One father and son even drove up from Georgia.

“Just for something to do and to get their hair cut,” Schoepp said.

Some who didn’t live far in neighboring states have become regular customers.

But so have the Hindsons.

They regularly returned every six weeks for more than a year.

“It’s usually a quick trip, two days, drive in Monday, go to dinner at Carinos because we stayed at the Clubhouse, hair the next day and go to Minervas for lunch and spend the night again and leave Wednesday,” Candace said.

“It was great. The people were very friendly and we did the Falls a couple times.”

They credit their stylist, Kat Wilson, for recommending a hotel they loved and becoming more than a person who does their hair.

“We became really good friends – soulmates,” Candace said.

Wilson, who had just started at Sola when she was connected with the couple, agreed.

“I think it was our personalities. We’re both very outgoing and friendly and I think that definitely make a difference,” she said. “I feel like they consider me one of their kids. We talk about that – God brought us together for a reason.”

Schoepp tries “to make a point to stop up and see them every time they come,” he added. “The fact that they come back every six weeks just shows you how much they enjoy it.”

And here’s what else you need to know about the Hindsons: They know all about showing hospitality.

When they’re not travelers themselves, they’re the innkeepers at the Greenway House Bed and Breakfast, a Queen Anne Victorian-style mansion that was converted into an inn and has been so busy this summer they had to take a break from their own trips out of town.

“We would have kept going, it was a nice getaway, but we have had a wild summer here at the inn,” she said. “We’ve been sold out almost every day for months, so it was just not in the cards for us to get away, and Kat totally understood.”

To make it even more crazy, Wilson had even been to Green Lake — a town of fewer than 1,000 people — and plans to go again to visit the B&B some day.

“This has been a wonderful experience for me,” she said, adding that she also recommended places for the couple to eat and be entertained. “If I experience something cool, I want to tell the world.”

Their story proves a powerful point about the visitor industry, said Teri Schmidt, executive director of Experience Sioux Falls.

“Think about all the people who played a role in turning them from one-time tourists into regular visitors,” she said.

“It’s such a good reminder that we all have a role to play in strengthening the visitor industry. From the salon owner who answered the phone, to the stylist who became a friend, to the hoteliers and restaurant teams who made such a positive impact, their outstanding service created a positive impression for the entire community.”

That’s key to turning pandemic-era tourists into regular guests, she continued.

“We were fortunate to gain many new visitors in the last year, and we continue to experience significant tourism business,” Schmidt said. “The key is delivering the kind of experience that will encourage them to return and to tell others about everything Sioux Falls has to offer.”

As for the Hindsons, they plan to be back – and it’s largely due to the people.

“A lot of people think we’re pretty crazy for driving six hours to get your hair done, but when you’re in Wisconsin and everything is shut down, it became a necessity and it was fun,” Paul said.

And they met “really phenomenal people,” Candace continued. “From Steve our original contact, to Kat, to Barb and Deb at Minervas and the people at Carinos, all our experiences were positive and welcoming. We’ll be back.”