Neighboring women-owned small businesses create experiences in downtown Sioux Falls

July 24, 2024

This paid piece is sponsored by The First National Bank in Sioux Falls.

On the outside, it might seem like a bridal shop and a toy store would have nothing in common.

That’s not the case for Marie & Marie Bridal and Child’s Play Toys.

Located along Phillips Avenue, these neighboring women-owned small businesses are both focused on offering an “experience” in their respective industries and bringing life to downtown Sioux Falls.

Neighbors in the Boyce-Greeley Building

Nancy Savage opened her toy store, Child’s Play Toys, in November 2009.

The Sioux Falls native moved back home from Seattle, where she had been living for years, to pursue her long-realized dream of entrepreneurship.

“I think I always knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur,” Savage said, “but I was kind of afraid to do it. Taking that first step is the hard part.”

She began looking for storefronts downtown and caught wind of an upcoming vacancy in the Boyce-Greeley Building — the former location of Great Outdoor Store.

“And if I could have picked any spot in Sioux Falls to open a toy store, it would have been this corner,” Savage said.

It would be nearly a decade before sisters Erin Rallis and Kayla Thompson – maiden name O’Connor – moved in next door.

Similar to Savage, the sisters had always known that one day they would own a business.

“Our dad owned his own business, so we grew up with a spirit of entrepreneurship,” Rallis said.

As the story goes, Rallis and Thompson both came up with the idea for a bridal shop separately. When they came together to discuss their plans, it was like fate had told them the time was now.

“We love the community and energy of downtown,” Thompson said, “so when we learned of the available space in the Boyce-Greeley Building, we knew we had found our home.”

“We feel like downtown really is the ‘heart’ of Sioux Falls and are so grateful to be a part of it,” Rallis added.

The sisters opened Marie & Marie Bridal in April 2018. They recently celebrated their six-year business anniversary.

Bringing an experience to downtown Sioux Falls

“We have brides from all over the country who tell us this was their favorite dress-shopping experience,” Rallis said, “and nothing makes us happier than that.”

In order to compete with the big-city bridal shops like what you’d see on TV, Rallis and Thompson were determined to provide brides with an unforgettable experience.

“We knew from the beginning that we had to make the experience here amazing,” Thompson said. “Each bride is assigned a stylist to help curate their bridal look and help them on their journey. We also serve mimosas and champagne to make the moment extra special.”

For a personal touch, each bride will have her own private bridal suite to try on dresses with her entourage.

And when she finds “the one,” her appointment will end with a “Said Yes to the Dress” group photo.

“We truly care about each and every bride and want to make them happy” Rallis said.

“We’ve received so much positive feedback over the years from brides who absolutely loved their experience with us,” Thompson added. “We’re always looking to improve the Marie & Marie Bridal experience and find the newest trends.”

As for Savage, her store was inspired by the big-city toy stores she and her daughter would peruse while living in Seattle.

“It’s a family environment,” Savage said. “The fun, the toys, the store, the people. It’s just a positive, happy environment. I feel like it’s a party almost every day.”

There are toys out for kids to play with, and story time takes place every Tuesday morning at the downtown location — all parents and children welcome.

Down a few steps in the store is a showstopping book room, where all books in Savage’s inventory are displayed on individual shelves.

“It takes up more room,” Savage said, “but it’s worth it for the enhanced shopping experience we can provide.”

Savage also boasts about her knowledgeable and dedicated staff.

With their many years of experience working in the store, and the experience they’ve accumulated as parents themselves, they can help you find the right toy, book or treat for any age and circumstance.

“And another thing is, we offer free gift wrap,” Savage said. “People love free gift wrap. Like on Saturday mornings, people will come in specifically because they’re on their way to a party, and they know that we’ll do gift wrap for them.”

It doesn’t happen overnight

The thing about creating the best customer experience is that it takes time, trial and error, learning from mistakes and overcoming hardships all along the way.

Despite a nearly 10-year difference in the age of their businesses, Savage, Rallis and Thompson can identify similar pain points that have afflicted their entrepreneurial journeys.

From day one, both Savage and the sisters were challenged with securing financing for their businesses.

“Getting funding was my first hurdle,” Savage said. “I thought many times, ‘OK, that’s it. Then I’m done.’ But I kept trying.

“When I found out one time that I hadn’t gotten an SBA loan from a bank,” she continued, “I was like, ‘All right, what do I do now?’ And then, ‘Nope, I’m going to keep trying.’”

Rallis and Thompson credit their business banker, Derek Ohme at The First National Bank in Sioux Falls, with helping them finally put their dreams into motion.

“We met with Derek at First National about acquiring a loan after we had put our business plan together,” Rallis said. “He was so supportive from day one and helped us make our dream a reality.”

Savage, too, found a banker — initially at a different bank — who believed in her business, and “I would not be here if it wasn’t for (that banker), because he gave me that chance.”

But the biggest challenge, as you can probably guess, was the COVID pandemic.

“It was a scary time,” Thompson said.

Marie & Marie Bridal had to shut down and wait out the nationwide restrictions that affected their ability to do business.

Next door, Savage also had closed her store but was hatching a plan to keep business moving: Easter baskets.

The team at Child’s Play Toys assembled and delivered more than 300 Easter baskets to community members that spring — an act that not only kept the business afloat, but also has become a point of connection and tradition between the toy store and the Sioux Falls community.

According to Rallis and Thompson, whose business was only two years old at the time, the support they received from loved ones helped them pull through.

“We have the best support system,” Rallis said. “Our husbands and families have been encouraging and always willing to lend a hand. They were so supportive during the stressful early years.”

They also say the support and reassurance from their banker was a major factor in what helped them outlast the pandemic.

For Ohme, there was never any question of whether the business would succeed.

“They wanted to bring an overall experience to our community and not just your typical wedding dress shop,” Ohme said. “They came to me with a business plan that was well thought out, and they had the passion and determination to make their dream a reality in downtown Sioux Falls.”

Women in business

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, there are more than 13 million women-owned businesses in the nation.

“I think it’s a plus, being a woman in business,” Savage said. “A lot of people do like to support women-owned businesses.”

For Rallis and Thompson, owning a bridal store has the added benefit of doing business in a primarily female industry.

“The bridal world is female-driven,” Rallis said, “and we’ve met so many amazing women over the years.”

But — despite the support they’ve received in their respective industries — Savage, Rallis and Thompson still feel the daily pressures of being women in business.

“Mom guilt is definitely real,” said Thompson, who is the mother of three boys.

“Especially in the beginning, there were lots of Saturday activities that we had to miss,” added Rallis, who has two boys of her own.

Savage has one daughter, who was just 4 years old when Child’s Play Toys opened.

She admits that there have been upsides and drawbacks to owning a business as a parent.

“It’s not easy,” Savage said. “You have to work hard. I’m working early mornings, and I’m working at night when I’m watching TV with my daughter.”

On the flip side, “it does give you that flexibility,” she added. “With my daughter, I could go to her plays. I could go to her concerts at 1 p.m. I could do those things that I wanted to do.”

Six years into their business, Rallis and Thompson have begun to find more of that balance themselves.

“As our business has matured, we’ve been able to balance our time better,” Thompson said. “We make sure that we aren’t missing out on the special moments, and we really prioritize family time. We know our kids won’t be this little for long, so we cherish every moment we can get.”

Savage said it also helps to have a banker who understands what she has been through to get where she is.

She began working with Jill Mockler, a business banker at First National Bank, last year.

“Jill, as a person and as a woman, understands so much of what I’m going through as a business owner,” Savage said. “She cares about the person as a whole and about the business as a whole, so I think that’s why I was drawn to her.”

Both Mockler and Savage have a child in college, which, according to Savage, makes her feel like they’re in a similar place in their lives.

“We’ve probably gone through a lot of the same things in our careers,” Savage said. “Just having that connection with somebody, where you click with them — she understands what I’m going through.”

As for Mockler, the opportunity to work with an established and successful female entrepreneur is not something she takes lightly.

“I’ve enjoyed working with Nancy, who is such a resilient person,” Mockler said. “‘Give up’ just isn’t in her vocabulary. She certainly has been a survival story when it comes to small retail — beating the odds that many national retailers couldn’t. I’m grateful that her story has taught me even more about what it takes to make a small business work.”

Advice for the aspiring female entrepreneurs

Even after the mom guilt and the pandemic and every other obstacle they’ve faced, Savage, Rallis and Thompson still would recommend that other women dreaming of entrepreneurship take the leap.

“It’s not an easy road,” Rallis said, “but it can be incredibly rewarding.”

To those women, Rallis and Thompson also would offer this advice: “Before you start, do market research to make sure there is a need for your product or service. Meeting with the Small Business Administration was also very helpful for us in the beginning; they are a wealth of knowledge, and talking through the details of our business was very beneficial.”

Meanwhile, Savage would offer these words of encouragement: “Don’t give up. Keep going, because it’s worth it. It’s worth it to have your own business and be able to support yourself and your family.”

If you want to learn more about either of these women-owned small businesses, check out the full Marie & Marie Bridal story or Child’s Play Toys story!

And if you’re looking for a partner to start or grow your business with, reach out to the team at First National Bank. They’d be happy to help!