By Barbara Soderlin
I’m looking forward to next Wednesday when I’m going to interview Ben Snow, who was recently hired as president of the Rapid City Economic Development Partnership. They’re the ones who try to recruit new businesses to the area, and to help existing ones stay in business.
On the phone he sounded enthusiastic. He’s a younger guy (41… that’s younger, right?) moving his family here from the Denver area. I wonder if the current economy would make it more difficult to recruit businesses, or easier, especially if our work force has a lot to offer to a business looking to cut costs.
Let me know if there are any specific questions you’d like me to ask him and I’ll try to work them in.

Here’s the brief that’ll be in tomorrow’s paper:
The Rapid City Economic Development Partnership has hired a new president.
Ben Snow, 41, comes to Rapid City from Parker, Colo., a suburb of Denver.
“I just love it up here,” Snow said. “I love being in a ‘small-city USA’ environment.”
Former president Bob DeMersseman retired at the end of last year.
The partnership’s goal is to bring “primary jobs” to the area, those defined as jobs that bring new wealth into the community, such as manufacturing, according to its Web site.
In addition, it works to expand and retain existing companies and serve as a resource for economic information for the region.
Snow said he will work “to attract companies to move to Rapid City and move to the Black Hills.”
This area is about the same size of market as Parker, Snow said, but the dynamics are different, with Rapid City being “the center of economic gravity” for western South Dakota.
Originally from the Phoenix area, Snow went to school at Arizona State University and worked in commercial real estate, project management and other development fields before joining the Parker Economic Development Council, where he was chief executive.
Snow brings with him to Rapid City his wife, Kimberlee, and their four children, two teenage girls and two younger boys.

It’s a new business for a historic building. And what better to sell at a historic building than consigned furniture and décor items.

Elli Thurston Lang just opened the Marketplace on 7th resale furniture shop today.

The Marketplace on 7th is in the lower level at 320 7th St, below Victoria’s Garden. Lang and her father, local architect Fred Thurston, own the building.

Between her father’s work and her training in marketing and more learning at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, the shop felt like the next logical step based on her influences and training.

“I’ve kind of grown up in it,” she said.

Furniture at the shop is set up in vignettes, to showcase the furniture in different settings.

“We’ve got assortments: Living room, dining room, bedroom, garden, seasonal, some structural elements,” Lang said.

The building was built in 1920 as the Rapid City Fruit and Produce building. And while its now home to new businesses, the original construction shows through, in some very charming ways.

“You can see a lot of history of that in the basement of the building,” she said.

Lang will also sell some vintage linens, although she leans more toward retro items from the ‘50s and the arts and crafts style. And she won’t just sell furniture. Accessories such as lamps and rugs are also up for sale.

Lang will accept consignments on Monday (from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and on Tuesday and Wednesday by appointment. Consignment terms are 50/50, Lang said.

The shop is open from Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Contact The Marketplace on 7th at 605-342-8160.

The list is out for the those restaurants who want permits for outside seating.

Courtesy of crack city beat reporter Emilie Rusch, here’s the list.

The following businesses have applied for sidewalk café permits and are on this Thursday’s (6/25) Planning Commission agenda:

• Dublin Square
• Vino 100
• Thirsty’s
• Tally’s
• Alex Johnson
• Alternative Fuel Coffee House

The following business have sidewalk café permits:

• Firehouse Brewing Co.
• Bully Blends
• Wine Cellar

The biggest surprise for me? Tally’s.

Has Tally’s ever had outdoor seating?

How do you think that will work?

Re-opening soon, say this sign in the Delmonico Grill window.

Hours are included, and apparently Sunday is the time for the tapas menu.

I’ll see if I can find out anything more specific.

UPDATE: Commenter ‘ELO’ says :

New sign says it’s reopening Monday, June 22.

I don’t have a lot of details at this moment, but can confirm Murphy’s Pub was open for business last night.

I’ll get you more info when I get it.

Chuck from Independent Goldsmiths (Or Independents Hall,” as he calls it in his comment here) writes to give us details of his newly opened shop and the Red Kettle Company also located there:

HI Jeremy.
I just wanted to let you know about a new Trading Post. It is “Independents Hall” . We are at 621 Main Street, Downtown. Right next to the Republican Block. It’s the old Doherty Drug Building.
We still have work to do to on the facade, but we are open. We did most of the remodel work ourselves and are very proud of the work we have done, even though it is taking forever.
A big public THANK YOU to EVERYONE who helped! Most notably my coworkers and bestest buddies Angel, Brent and Rick. Thanks again for busting so much tail for so darn long.

Red Kettle Co. is right up front in the Store. The owner, Tracy Hauff makes and sells premium salsa, and retails artwork and other products. Her Salsas and Picante Sauces are to die for. She also sells her salsa line wholesale to other stores.

We have one or two more leasing opportunities for other small retailers who might make a nice fit in a Galleria/ Trading Post atmosphere.

I’m also proud to be a part of Independent Goldsmiths which anchors our little micromall.
We are a FULL SERVICE Jewelry store specializing in Jewelry repair and restyling. We try to have jewelry to fit any budget and carry merchandise ranging from costume jewelry to fine gold jewelry and large diamonds.
We also have an interest helping Downtown Rapid City become a Destination for Gallery shopping and we need to fill up our Galleria! We have an Independent philosophy and are currently taking consignments from Independent Artists and Jewelry Designers. Paintings, sculpture, or jewelry. We are aiming to display and retail an eclectic collection not restricted to a single genre or medium.

I would like to invite anyone and everyone Downtown to Independent Goldsmiths (& Galleria) in Independents Hall, also I want to encourage people to shop the INDEPENDENT’S no matter what you are looking for. You might be surprised what the locals can do.

Thanks for this great blog, and thanks for letting me take up some space.
Respectfully,
Chuck Cressy

GO INDEPENDENTS!

Commenter ‘horse’ asks:

Hey Jeremy! This is the best blog on the web! Can you give us any more updates on the Murphy’s situation? I’m always downtown and want to know what they’re up to! Please keep us informed!

There are some big changes in the works for Murphy’s Pub downtown, and you could see them as early as late this week.

This according to a source close to the ongoing discussions about the future of the Rapid City bar.

I’ll have more information tomorrow, but lets just say there’ll be some new management at Murphy’s and a dramatic shift in what that bar was when it closed.

I’ll admit: I’m a sucker for chicken-fried steak.

I used to work as a mover, the guy that packs up your stuff and takes it to your new home, and on occasion I’d take cross-country trips. You guessed it, I’d try the chicken-fried steak everywhere I could.  That’s probably where I got my girlish figure, but anyway…

It seemed like the further in the southeast I went (Kentucky and South Carolina get special mention) the better the chicken-fried steak.

But I’m willing to be proved wrong. Where in the Black Hills is the best chicken-fried steak?

Commenter ‘G-Man’ says I should check out The Belle Inn in Belle Fourche. Commenter ‘me again’ says:

For chicken fried steak, try Colonial House. It used to be one of the best around! I worked there years ago and I had a group of bikers during the rally that came back 4 nights in a row for it.

How about it? Where’s the best chicken-fried steak in the Black Hills?

Murphy’s Pub in downtown Rapid City shut its doors last week. A sign on the store said it would reopen under new management.

Still true, says a reliable source.

Despite rumors and a media report to the contrary (he says), the pub is not bankrupt and there’s no foreclosure.

Murphy’s isn’t under new management yet, but it should be shortly. Say, within a week.

Keep it right here — I’ll tell you what I know when I know it.

If you’re a plus-sized woman, it can be hard to find clothes in Rapid City that make you feel good, said Sue Heil, owner of the new Mona Lisa’s on Main fashion boutique downtown.

But she’s here to fix that. Heil’s new shop features clothing for plus-sized women and will offer “different types of clothes for a reasonable price,” she said. “I wanted nice clothing that fits people.”

Mona Lisa’s on Main, located at 615 Main St., is Heil’s next step in the business world. For years she ran the Windmill Truck Stop with her husband, Larry.

While Heil dealt with some clothing sales at the truck stop, her new fashion business is a whole different deal:

Here, once you order, you’re done. With the Harley-Davidson t-shirts, you could re-order, re-order, re-order.

While the shop is Heil’s business, her husband’s

helped out getting the on-wall clothing racks for the shop. He also added a chair in the corner of the shop for men who are out shopping with their significant others. He calls it the “guy’s chair,” he told me in a mid-day visit.

The location is something of a family affair. Heil’s daughter Lisa Houghton runs Mona Lisa’s Photography in the upstairs portion of the shop.

Heil traveled to Las Vegas, Dallas and Minneapolis to pick the fashions for her store, and she carries brands such as Fresh Produce, Silver, Not Your Daughter’s Jeans and Erin London.

Heil offers a rewards program for frequent buyers and offers alterations, with the help of employee Linda Schwartz. The shop also sells a number of accessory items, such as knock-off designer bags, sunglasses and jewelry.

Mona Lisa’s on Main is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., but will eventually open an hour earlier.

To contact Mona Lisa’s on Main, call 484-9835.