July 19, 2019

The Cascade’s first business opens today – and it’s a sweet one.

Candy Cloud Factory will start serving its signature cotton candy at 3 p.m. It’s located on the first floor of The Cascade, the new mixed-use building on North Phillips Avenue across from Falls Park West.

“I really like it,” said co-owner Edward Clark, who acquired the business this year with Luke Jessen.

“I want people to be excited we’re here, and I think it’s going to be fun. We’ve had people walk by already and see the sign and say they’re excited to have this.”

The shop offers more than 20 cotton candy flavors. Customers can watch it being spun fresh or purchased pre-made tubs and bags.

“We also can mix them in the machine, or you can have a three-flavor bag or a rainbow bag or get it in a container,” Clark said.

The menu also includes a “burrito” made with one to three cotton candy flavors as the “shell” and filled with ice cream and toppings. For now, it’s Superman flavor, which tastes like vanilla but looks more colorful. Toppings includes sprinkles, M&Ms and Fruity Pebbles. A few more ice cream flavors will be added, Clark said.

Candy Cloud Factory started two years ago in Mitchell and will work with a neighboring business there, LemonHeads, to carry the store’s fresh-squeezed lemonade, gourmet popcorn and pretzels in Sioux Falls.

“They make it fresh daily and will bring us product,” Clark said.

Lemonade also can be flavored with cotton candy sugar.

“The space will continually develop, and we’ll add new products,” Clark said. “When we first started the business two years ago, we had three flavors of cotton candy.”

Normal business hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Here’s a look at the menu:

Candy Cloud Factory also will sell at area events, including every concert at the nearby Levitt at the Falls and the 605 Made Night Market on Aug. 24 in the parking lot of Cherapa Place. It also works with corporate events and nonprofit fundraisers.

Other businesses coming to The Cascade include Severance Brewing Co., which opens Aug. 2, La Luna Cafe, The Root Cellar convenience store and The Bloom Room Boutique. Candy Cloud Factory includes an entrance directly into The Cascade’s first-floor residents’ lounge. The plan is to add a restaurant next to the shop.

“As soon as a restaurant comes in, I think people will really start coming in down here,” Clark said. “I get excited because when people are running or biking by just to and from Falls Park I’m amazed how used the sidewalk is. They instantly look over here. The building is gorgeous, and when you look over and see something fun and bright and colorful, hopefully it draws them in.”