March 20, 2024

This paid piece is sponsored by Dawley Farm Village.

When your opening week happens to coincide with the coldest weather of the year, it makes sense to adjust expectations.

Fortunately, for Jody and Melissa Reno, who opened the first Nekter Juice Bar in Sioux Falls in January at Dawley Farm Village, those expectations easily were exceeded.

“We had a great turnout from the community even with minus 40 windchills,” Jody Reno said. “We were open, and we had customers coming in, so I’m very pleased. And I think with the warmer weather, we need to be ready because the community is loving it.”

Months later, Rob Davis had a similar experience opening Gents Grooming, which is in the same retail center at Dawley Farm Village as Subway and Verizon Wireless.

“It’s busy. Very busy. Love the location!” he said, adding he has “tapped into a part of Sioux Falls I really didn’t know existed. I live on the south part of town so never really was over on this part of town. The growth I have seen over the last couple of years has been phenomenal.”

He kept his clientele from another location and has “nearly tripled business moving to the Dawley Farms development,” he said.

He still has a booth available for someone to rent, with a sign-on bonus and options for compensation.

“I have more than enough business to go around,” Davis said.

The east-side’s strong mix of residential growth and new employment centers, tied together by the expansion of Veterans Parkway, means Dawley Farm is anticipating a big year ahead.

Starbucks and Blue Tide Car Wash have opened in recent weeks, and La Cantina Mexican restaurant has started construction and plans to open in May.

It’s in the same retail center as Cellar 54, which is planning to move into an adjacent larger space.

“It’s one of the easiest moves I could make to gain more retail space, and the layout is much better,” owner Jenna Snyder said. “It has an exposed ceiling, and I can add more tables for wine tasting and just have a better overall floor plan.”

She bought the store three years ago and has found a growing loyal client base, including many groups that regularly meet at the shop.

“The fact that you can bring your own food and it’s not a loud place has made it a good fit for everything from networking groups to friends celebrating to regular mahjong players.”

Snyder plans to do some minor remodeling in the space and move sometime in the next few months.

On the north side of Dawley Farm, north of 18th Street, there’s not much room for additional retail.

“We have two lots left, one near Budget Blinds and one in front of the movie theater, and those are the only two undeveloped pieces north of 18th,” said Raquel Blount of Lloyd Cos., who represents Dawley Farm Village.

South of 18th Street, the new South Dakota One Stop is under construction and will bring a significant number of new workers to the development next year.

More residents also are on the way with Lloyd’s latest apartment development called The Current, offering a total of four buildings with floor plans ranging from a studio to two bedrooms with a den.

The first building, with 37 apartments, has started leasing and is scheduled to open later this spring.

“It’s a unique building style,” said Luke Jessen, vice president of development at Lloyd Cos.

“It’s a new type for us – a hybrid town home project where each unit has its own entrance and a lot of really big dens in almost every unit. There are some huge windows to look out the front side of the building, so it will be a fun place to move into and will stand out on the east side.”

There’s also additional land available south of 18th Street for development.

“We’ve had developers reach out and ask what the potential opportunities are,” Blount said. “The anticipation of the employment base that’s going to be out there has people looking at the possibilities, and we anticipate the next phase of retail out there.”

There’s also room for additional retail, office and residents at The Carlton, Lloyds’ luxury apartment community that includes first-floor commercial space.

“We have many different sizes for floor plans available, making this a great opportunity for a range of businesses. The whole Dawley area continues to grow as more housing and apartments are added, and the infrastructure will just continue to get better as Veterans Parkway is completed,” Blount said. “Dawley is doing very well, and our tenants are very happy.”