With 70-plus local vendors, Pomegranate Market creates win-win for producers, consumers
June 3, 2026
This piece is sponsored by Pomegranate Market.
For the past year, signature hand-wrapped bouquets grown locally by Alissa’s Flower Farm have been available for shoppers at Pomegranate Market.
Filled with seasonal flowers for much of the year, the shelves shift to stocking Alissa’s evergreen arrangements and wreaths at Christmas.
“Being a farm without a brick-and-mortar shop, it has allowed us to give our customers a way to access to our flowers every day of the week,” co-owner Alissa Van Zweden said.
The small local business is one of 70 local vendors carried at Pomegranate Market, which has locations at Cherapa Place in downtown Sioux Falls and at 4815 S. Louise Ave.
“Our three-part mission is to bless lives, champion local producers and build community. We see the local farmers, artists and creators who fill our shelves as true stakeholders in Pomegranate Market,” co-owner Jonah Snyder said.
“Our vision is to provide a platform for their food and brands to flourish and gain traction in the community. Whether it’s a farmers market we put on, a collaborative social media post, positioning on the shelves or the variety of other ways we team up with our local vendors, we want to do everything we can to see them win.”
Since opening in 2010, “we’ve had the honor of giving some of the best-known local products and brands in our community their first space on a grocery shelf,” he added. “And sometimes, that’s all a great local creator needs to turn a dream into a full-time business.”
Alissa’s Flower Farm, which is 45 miles from Sioux Falls in Hull, Iowa, specializes in field-to-vase flowers and features special events, summer u-picks, and public and private floral design classes.
Being carried at Pomegranate Market has “absolutely” been a multifold benefit to the business, she said.
“Being able to have our brand visible and in front of people always helps,” she said. “We get comments all the time that they’ve seen our bouquets at Pom.”
This summer, Alissa’s Flower Farm is opening to add singular-flower bouquets such as snapdragons and lisianthus.
“Alissa has done a wonderful job at building her brand as a premier flower vendor in our community,” Snyder said.
“Many folks might be surprised to learn that many of the flowers available in town come from a long ways away, but Alissa’s Flower Farm is just a hop, skip and a jump outside of Sioux Falls. When you buy her bouquets, you’re truly supporting local farmers. Alissa’s flowers are a big cut above your standard grocery store bouquet and exceptional value for what you get.”
Sioux Falls-based Katz Creem is one of Pomegranate Market’s newest local vendors. The family business is a licensed dairy, making ultra-small batch runs of classic and unique ice cream from scratch 40 pints at a time.
The family began selling pints of its ice cream at Pomegranate Market earlier this year.
“It’s been super-important,” owner Blaine Styles said. “Pom was the first store to give us a chance, and we’re so thankful. The visibility has been killer! We get messages all the time from folks asking about the ice cream they see at Pomegranate or when a certain flavor will be in stock.”
Without the store, “we wouldn’t have had any retail exposure,” he continued. “It’s been a springboard allowing us to get into other stores and build presence.”
Pomegranate Market has included Katz Creem in its social media post and events, Styles added.
“It’s allowed us to get our product in front of like-minded people who want the best quality and share customers with other local vendors,” he said.
“The people I’ve had the privilege of working with at Pomegranate are top-notch.”
Katz Creem “is probably our most popular new local product,” Snyder said. “Our general manager, Matt, and Blaine have known each other for years, so we were proud to be the first shop in town that put Katz Creem on the shelf and believed in Blaine’s vision.”
Pomegranate Market appreciates how dedicated “to the art of ice cream making” the team at Katz Creem is, he added.
“He’s always experimenting with new flavors and new concepts, which creates this demand in the community to try whatever new recipe he’s whipped up. Every time you go looking for Katz Creem on the shelf, you’re likely to discover something new.”
Another new addition at Pomegranate Market’s downtown location is a monthly weekday farmers market.
Grace Place Farm & Gardens, located east of Sioux Falls, has become one of the event’s most popular vendors, Snyder said.
“They sell an amazing spread of natural foods straight from their farm such as eggs, chicken, vegetables, pickles, salsa, hot sauce and more,” Snyder said.
“It’s incredible what they’ve done in just a few short years since their inception in 2024 with a wide variety of high-quality products they produce. Their story, brand and customer service are all best in class within the community of local food.”
Within Pomegranate Market, shoppers regularly find organically fed, pasture-raised eggs from Grace Place Farm & Gardens.
“They first started carrying it back in 2024 as one of our first retail spaces,” farm director Mason Prescott said.
“It’s very important because it is another avenue for the community, which means more families getting access to real local produce. It’s a great relationship because it supports the farmer and the business while benefiting the customer.”
Because the farm store is located east of town, the relationship allows Grace Place to access customers who might not be apt to drive there, he added.
“The downtown markets have been a great way to meet people as well, which we’ve enjoyed getting to know more of our Sioux Falls neighbors,” Prescott said.
There’s plenty of opportunity for the local business to grow, Snyder added.
“I know they have big dreams, and they’re one to definitely keep an eye out for in the next few years. They’re a real gem in our community, and as more folks discover them, I suspect their farm store on the east side of town will become a regular destination for Sioux Falls shoppers.”
Chances are, if you’re looking for a category of food, Pomegranate Market has a local vendor to support it.
“Whether it’s eggs, dairy, produce, meat, wellness products or anything else a grocery store might sell, we love when small-business owners approach us about stocking their products,” Snyder said. “And we’re always trying to find more local producers to feature.”
Pomegranate Market will be hosting a Friday Farmer’s Market at Cherapa Place each third Friday of the month from 4 to 7 p.m. The next market is June 19.
“There’s a great variety of local vendors and tasty food to enjoy,” Snyder said.
Look for summer-themed food concepts at the Groove Wellness Bar too.
“We think kids and adults alike will be very excited that we’re adding ice cream by the scoop,” Snyder said “We’re teaming up with Katz Creem for a Pomegranate-themed flavor along with a few other options, so keep an eye out for that very soon.”
The local relationships also represent the broader mission of Pomegranate Market.
One hundred years ago, one in every four people in the workforce in America worked in farming and agriculture. Today, that number has dwindled to one in 100.
“As the economy has shifted and technology pulls more and more folks out of the food supply chain, we’ve all become increasingly disconnected from the earth and what goes into growing good clean food,” Snyder said.
“Nonperishable, calorie-dense, processed foods account for more than half the calories consumed in our society today.”
There are estimates that as much as 90 percent of the food consumed in South Dakota comes from out of state, he added.
“But we have a vision where the future is local. Eating local food keeps dollars and jobs in the Sioux Falls economy and creates the type of community and food ecosystem we all want to live in.”
