Lauriebelles opens second location, launches clothing brand

Tea-based Lauriebelles expanded its storefronts to a second location in downtown Sioux Falls.

Owner Laurie Karlson said the opening came around quickly. At the end of the August, they came up with the idea. From closing on the property at 206 S. Phillips Avenue to opening Oct. 1, they had 15 days to prepare the new space.

“It was really quick. My whole team came together in an amazing way to make it happen,” she said.

The space was already a boutique before Lauriebelles bought it. That made it easier to move into. All they needed to do was paint and install countertops and fixtures to create the vibe to match their Tea store.

The new location is about 1,500 square feet. While the space is a smaller, cozier space than the Tea store, the feel and the product is the same.

“We’re enjoying being downtown and reaching a whole other demographic for the area. What we’ve been hearing for feedback so far is just how excited they are to have us down there,” Karlson said. “People have been really excited that they have been able to check us out, a lot of them for the first time ever in store.”

With the second location opening, they have moved the assistant manager from the Tea store downtown to be the manager of that store. They have also hired more employees to be able to staff two stores. The store hours downtown are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

In addition to a new storefront opening, Karlson has been busy working on her own clothing line. She and her husband launched Lily & Lottie, named after the small town in northeast South Dakota and their Golden Lab, in March. They began the process of developing their own line in 2018, with products coming out in March of this year.

“This is from start to finish, all our ideas and designs. It’s a lengthy process and it’s been very educational because it’s not anything my husband or I had any sort of background knowledge in,” Karlson said.

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