You may not think that going smoke-free — unless a possible state law forces the move — would be a good thing for businesses in Deadwood or Sturgis during the rally.

But this is an excerpt of a story we have running tomorrow in our Sturgis Rally Daily.

Although the war over a statewide smoking ban in South Dakota is still raging, one bar in Sturgis has already taken the step to become smoke-free.
Since Nov. 2 of last year, the Loud American Roadhouse on Main Street in Sturgis has not allowed smoking indoors.
Loud American Roadhouse owner Mark Bruch said the Roadhouse decided to go smoke-free after the restaurant side of the business began to grow and attract more families.
“We’re open year round. Obviously, we’re a rally business, but it’s only two weeks and we’d like to cater to business year round,” Bruch said. “It felt like the right thing to do.”
First Gold Casino in Deadwood is another establishment in the area that has gone smoke-free within the last year. Seven of the 11 gaming rooms at First Gold do not allow smoking, general manager Brad Hemmah said.
Losing customers at the rally to bars that allow smoking isn’t a top concern, Bruch said, because many customers are visiting from states that have public smoking bans and it’s “uncommon for them to light up inside.”
Hemmah agreed.
“Vacationers have been telling us that they’re surprised smoking is allowed in public areas, so it hasn’t been a problem,” he said. “We’re surprised at that, but the fact of the matter is that most states are ahead of us in non-smoking legislation.”

This just moved from AP.

This was one government stimulus plan that yielded quick results. Maybe too quick.
Far more drivers signed up for the “cash for clunkers” program than anyone thought, overwhelming showrooms, blowing through the initial $1 billion set aside by Congress and leaving dealers panicked over when or if the government would make good on the hefty rebates.
The government Web site set up to process rebates of up to $4,500 per new car could not keep up with demand. Washington scrambled to come up with more cash and sent mixed signals about how the program would unfold.
The House voted Friday to replenish the program with $2 billion, setting up likely Senate action next week.
The Car Allowance Rebate System offers owners of old cars and trucks $3,500 or $4,500 toward a new, more fuel-efficient vehicle, in exchange for scrapping their old vehicle. Congress last month approved the plan to boost auto sales and remove some inefficient cars and trucks from the roads.
It was unclear how many cars had been sold under the program on Friday, but the number was far higher than anyone had expected. About 40,000 vehicle sales were done through the program but dealers estimated they were trying to complete transactions on an additional 200,000 vehicles, said Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.

We did a story on this program before it was launched, and at the time, no one really knew how successful it would be.

Apparently, it was a hit. And government wasn’t ready for the success.

It’s been a hit locally, too. We spoke to a couple of Rapid City dealerships for a story tonight, and they welcomed the new car sales. The local Kia dealership sold 30 new cars thanks to the Cash For Clunkers program.

Our family has a car which may have qualified, but we enjoy not having a car note. Even though the additional savings on a new car would have been sweet, it’s not a good time for us to take on a monthly car payment … provided the car keeps starting in the morning.

If it hadn’t been running well at all (and there have been moments when we thought the 16-year-old car was going to give up the ghost), then the $4,500 trade-in incentive would have been a heckuva deal.

But good for those who took advantage of this. And even better for the local auto dealers who enjoyed a spike in customer traffic this past week.

It’s open mic Friday (no karaoke, sorry) … your opportunity to post your comments on any business-related topics, or anything else that’s on your mind today.

But speak loudly; it may be tough to hear you over the motorcycles.

Another resale shop is closing, the second in a week. (Thanks to one of our readers for the tip)

New To You consignment store on West Main in the Gap is closing as of Friday, July 31. Owner Charyl Fields needs to take some time away from the business and so she will shut down. She bought the business a year about from Kathy Heldreth, who owned the resale store for three years.

Among the reasons for closing (needing time away, recession, competition), Charyl also mentioned the traffic issues. She had at one time hoped to move the store to a different location, but had a binding one-year lease and couldn’t do it. A number of her customers commented about the difficult traffic issue which the Gap poses for her business. (”If you miss the parking lot, you’re not able to get back” she pointed out. “And I tell people, don’t even bother trying to make a left-hand turn”). It can get pretty dangerous braking to pull into the parking lot, hoping other cars behind you on West Main see your brake lights or turn signal.

Earlier this week, we reported The Kids Closet resale shop is closing in Baken Park.

Maybe the discussion didn’t go quite like that … but you’ll notice they’ve torn down that privacy fence between Kelly’s (which is in the midst of remodeling) and the new Sonic on Jackson Blvd.

It looks a lot better. A lot better.

We’re sure it was probably erected back in the day when those loud and crazy appraisers and hairdressers who worked in the now-demolished strip mall were up til all hours of the night with their wild parties.

Now, not only is it much more attractive, but Kelly’s patrons can make a quick walk next door to get some late-night chili fries. (Does Sonic have a stagger-through?)

Thought we’d share this note from a reader (sent as a letter to the editor) regarding one of our local businesses:

Dear Editor,
Recently my sister Mary Ann Scheuerle passed away after a long and hard fought battle with Cancer. She was a great person who loved her family, her job as a teacher and the arts. After spending sometime with her in the hospital a few weeks ago I returned home to California with hopes she would make it to the holidays. Sadly she only made it a few more days. I decided to drive from my home in Central California to Mitchell, SD. As I spent the days before the funeral reflecting on all the experiences with my sister I decided I wanted her to wear a ring that was very special to me in her final resting place. I returned to the business I bought it from about 12 years ago at Landstrom’s Black Hills Gold Jewelry on Canal Street in Rapid City. I was emotionally
and physically drained at this point but the people in the store were so gracious and helpful to me at this difficult time. I wanted to take this time to write a letter about what a special store it was and thank them for taking care and voluntarily cleaning and polishing the ring, making it look as beautiful as the day I first bought it. There are many special people in Rapid City and I cherish all my memories growing up in Kadoka and I look forward to returning soon to be around all these great people.

Jerry Baldwin

There’s a Buzz in the air.

The Sports Buzz, that fairly large businesses which was built on Mount Rushmore — the former site of a motel/pool — is now open, according to its sign (is there any doubt that many retail businesses find a way to get open right before the rally?).

It’s a pretty large sports bar/restaurant, and so the investment must have been sizable. From the road, it looks like they spared no expense. We all know the tall odds that a new restaurant has of succeeding (how do those stats compare with marriages?), and even taller odds when that restaurant isn’t affiliated with a chain.

They do have a good location for tourism season, but the real test will be the winter. We wish them all the best because, honestly, can there ever be enough beer and burger joints?

More in Thursday’s edition of the Rapid City Journal.

The Children’s Place, a retailer of children’s merchandise, will open a location in the Rushmore Mall in November, according to a e-mailed press release from the mall.

The 4,478-square-foot store will be located near The Buckle.

The Children’s Place Retail Stores Inc. owns and operates 936 The Children’s Place stores, including three in South Dakota.

Just what this area has been missing, right?

Deadwood Gulch Gaming Resort Convention Center is hosting a temporary Hooters “pop-up restaurant” during the Sturgis motorcycle rally.

The tent restaurant at the resort along Highway 85 will feature the waitresses, food, games and songs as a regular Hooters operation. (”games and songs” comes straight from the press release. What games and songs?)

Deadwood Gulch general manager Tracy Island said “Hooters is a great fit for the rally, and we believe that bikers will love this.”

Isn’t that the truth.

Update to this story: Just as quickly as the Hooters tent went up, it has come back down. It was announced today that there will be no Hooters pop-up at the Deadwood Gulch. It was fun for the 24 hours it lasted, eh? And doing an image search on Google for Hooters is always good for an audit from the company IT folks

You know times are tough when the local consignment shop is closing its doors.

Kid’s Closet, the store over in Baken Park which resells children’s clothing/games/books, is closing its doors. The Quenzer family opened the store 2 1/2 years ago after returning to their hometown Rapid City from Arizona.

But the economy and the departure of Ben Franklin really hurt business, and even a possible addition of Buffalo Wild Wings at Baken Park can’t save the family business it seems.

So if you have store credit with Kid’s Closet, you may want to use it (or lose it) in the next 30 days or so.

More on the closing in Tuesday’s Rapid City Journal.