By Barbara Soderlin

Working today on a story about how some big industrial businesses are fighting the proposed Black Hills Power rate increase.

I noticed, too, that a lot of ordinary citizens have written in to the Public Utilities Commission to protest. You can read their comments here. All the info about the case is here.

If you have a comment, you can either write to the PUC or come to a public meeting that’s planned for 7 p.m. Tuesday Nov. 24 at The Journey Museum.

E-mail comments to the commission at puc@state.sd.us or mail them to the PUC office at 500 E. Capitol Ave., Pierre, SD 57501. Submissions should include the commenter’s full name, mailing address and telephone number.

By Barbara Soderlin

It’s so nice today — hope the weather continues this weekend so we can get outside. I won’t feel bad if people aren’t inside reading blogs.

By Barbara Soderlin

I’ve just had time to skim it so far, but here are some details of the proposed downtown business improvement district as included on next Tuesday’s Legal & Finance Committee agenda.

It includes a list of each BID property and how it would be assessed, along with budgets for the first two years of the Main Street Square.

It proposes the BID board should hire a group called MSS Services to manage the square, but I can’t find that it says who runs or owns MSS Services.

I’ll report on this more soon but just wanted everyone to be able to find it.

By Barbara Soderlin

Had an interesting talk with Barb Garcia at the city who is putting together a program called Bank On Rapid City, which aims to get “unbanked” and “underbanked” people to use traditional banking services like checking and savings accounts.

Too many people are using payday lender or other types of high-interest-rate lenders to cash checks, write money orders and borrow money, she said, for a variety of reasons. Garcia is working with several banks to create a educational program that helps these people return to tradtional banks, save money and stabilize their financial situations.

The program was pioneered in San Francisco and the National League of Cities has made it available to cities around the country. We’re one of eight cities chosen for the 2009 effort. I’ll have more on it in the Monday paper.

By Barbara Soderlin

Today I’ve been talking to everyone I can get ahold of who is involved in the wine business for a story my editor suggested on wine sales. Seems the recession hasn’t put much of a damper on the business.

Fun fact: South Dakota now produces 300,000 bottles of wine a year.

This summer a second winery opened in Hill City and the Wine Rack is now open at Sheridan Lake Road and Catron Boulevard, an intersection already home to a liquor store and a wine bar. Retailers say sales have been strong but people haven’t been splurging on the really expensive bottles.

Have you curtailed your wine consumption? I think I’ve been doing like a lot of people, just buying cheaper wine.

By Barbara Soderlin

Recently I talked to two out-of-staters bringing their businesses here to western South Dakota, an arms accessories manufacturer and a maker of bowhunting supplies. They both couldn’t stop talking about how great our state and city were to work with as far as helping them get their business set up here. And they both said they plan to tell other business owners about our business climate. It seems to be a good lesson in the power of networking and word of mouth. Ben Snow, our economic development director in Rapid, has said he hopes to play up our business climate to tourists, hoping they will take the word back home with them, and then consider moving their own businesses here.

Anyone else move here because of something great they heard about South Dakota?

By Barbara Soderlin

Like I wrote yesterday, I’m doing a story on the new First Chance, Last Chance Games at 508 Main St. Here are two pictures Clancy Kingsbury gave me of the property during its historic saloon days and right before he bought it. The third picture I just took out of the second floor of the Journal. Yep, I’m working hard.

Clancy didn’t know much history on this building. Anyone else know? The photographer’s inscription says something that looks like Ben P.R. Roosh, 2-95, but the building was built in 1908 so I’m not sure what it means:

Remember this? Uh, me neither:

Here it is as of 20 minutes ago. There will be a black roll-up awning installed soon, along with a sign reminiscent of the original sign.

By Barbara Soderlin

This Friday’s business story is about the opening of the First Chance, Last Chance Games store at 508 Main St. I didn’t have to go far to report this one — it’s right across the street from the Journal. We reported at the end of 2008 that the store was supposed to open this spring, but it’s finally open now.

The store is for gamers — people who play games like Dungeons & Dragons — but they also have traditional board games like Scrabble and Monopoly. You won’t find any video games, though. That’s what I think is cool about it.

The story will have pictures of the renovation of the historic building, and pictures from the Friday night Magic tournaments they hold there. It was built in 1908 as First Chance, Last Chance Saloon. Cool name, huh?

Store hours are Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday noon to 5 p.m.

By Barbara Soderlin

I’ll be going to this, but in case you want to, too:

The South Dakota Retailers Association is hosting a series of four free statewide meetings to discuss how employers will be affected by a surcharge resulting from the low fund balance in the state’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund.
South Dakota Labor Secretary Pam Roberts and Unemployment Insurance Division Director Don Kattke will speak.
Weekly payments to unemployed workers from the fund have been two to five times higher than normal, causing the fund balance to drop to $2.8 million at the end of September. Under state law, a 1.5 percent surcharge to employers is automatically triggered when the fund falls below $11 million at the end of any quarter.
Rapid City’s meeting is from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday, Nov. 16 at the Rushmore Plaza Holiday Inn.
For information or to register contact the South Dakota Retailers Association at 1-800-658-5545, or e-mail bhunsley@sdra.org.

By Barbara Soderlin

The post below talks about the variety of home-based businesses. These seem to be hot right now. I’ve never been invited to so many “parties” whether it’s candle parties, purse parties or passion parties. (I wish I would get invited to a party party.)

Do you run a “party” business from your home? I’d love to do a story on people who do this and why it seems to be so popular right now. E-mail me at barbara.soderlin@rapidcityjournal.com.