A look inside Heritage Boutique in South Dakota

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – With warmer weather on the way, foot traffic in downtown Sioux Falls is starting to pick up. One local shop along Phillips Avenue unveiled its new name and look this month.

The change comes one year after the longtime owner of Chelsea’s Boutique transferred ownership. In May 2023 Chelsea Giedd, who owned Chelsea’s Boutique for 14 years, transferred ownership to Emma Schulz.

Now, one year later Heritage Boutique made its debut.

“I’ve just learned a lot about myself and it’s also humbled me and made me aware of like what it is to own a business. So I have huge respect for especially women in business. And it’s given me like a whole new view on it,” Schulz said.

Schulz has spent the past few months making this space her own.

“I think heritage means a lot of different things to people. I think people have an idea of it being like traditions, you know, that are handed down over time. And yes, it is that for me as well. But it’s more so about just taking bits and pieces of experiences that you had, you know, in the past and just making that into who you are today,” Schulz said.

Schulz, a first-time business owner, says one challenge with running your own shop includes the unpredictable waves of business.

“Whereas when you’re a storefront and you’re working with a downtown space and you’re a small business, your main traffic is going to be foot traffic. So I think with the economy changed, especially like right after I took over, that was definitely a difficult time,” Schulz said.

Lonie Jochim, the culture and experience manager at Heritage, started working the day Schulz became owner and has seen the ebb and flow of customers.

“Downtown isn’t as busy as it used to be. But we still see local support of people trying to support small business and try and keep downtown alive,” Jochim said.

The tight-knit team says they work because they enjoy what they do.

“We’ve just become best friends as well, which has been such a fun, dynamic, being able to work with your best friend, it doesn’t really feel like work here,” Jochim said. “I just wanted to be a part of that and help empowering women and loving on them.”

Kylie Schrad was a longtime customer at Chelsea’s Boutique before the re-brand.

“We’ve shopped here a lot before, and it’s just they always have such cute clothes and the prices are great, too. So they have something for every occasion. And I just love coming in here,” Schrad said.

This was her first time shopping at Heritage Boutique and didn’t leave empty-handed.
“It does look a little different. I think there’s a lot there’s like the seasonal stuff that I kind of like and just a lot of different new kinds of styles. I see a lot of ruffles. I love ruffles,” Schrad said.

With many local shops lining Phillips Avenue, Schulz wants people to know the impact of shopping locally.

“I feel that small businesses, they contribute to the community and they really make it what it is like. If you can imagine Sioux Falls without all of our businesses, downtown would be pretty sad,” Schulz said.

In the future, Schulz says she wants to get involved with more local events in Sioux Falls.

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