Downtown ice cream shop opts for year-round hours, adds sandwiches

Sept. 20, 2022

Ice cream fans: You’ll now be able to visit downtown’s Parlour Ice Cream House all year.

New ownership took over the business at Washington Square earlier this year.

“The summer went great — better than expected,” co-owner and manager Emma Houwman said. “We wanted to see how summer went, and I feel like if you look at the dessert options downtown — and even generally in Sioux Falls — they’re open year-round and … we just had a lot of people asking if we were going to be open all year.”

Chris and Caryn Hanmer, founders of CH Patisserie, opened Parlour in 2018. It always closed during the winter.

Parlour developed new summer flavors this year such as strawberry blonde and pina colada. Flavors are introduced and rotated monthly, so “we’ll definitely have some fall flavors transitioning with the weather,” Houwman said.

Adding sandwiches starting this week is designed to help the business diversify during the cooler months and bring in additional customers, she said.

“We don’t have a lot of sandwich options in downtown Sioux Falls, and that was something when we took over that we wanted to expand to,” Houwman said.

Parlour is partnering with Breadsmith to offer its honey wheat and white bread, with options including turkey and havarti, ham and Swiss, and roast beef and cheddar. Customers can customize their sandwiches, which are made to order, and add mayonnaise or mustard.

The sandwiches can be purchased individually or as a lunch sack meal that includes kettle chips and a scoop of ice cream to go. The option also is available for groups.

Fall hours will start today. Parlour will be closed Sunday and Monday and open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., when sandwiches and ice cream will be offered, and from 6 to 10 p.m., which will be just the ice cream menu.

“It’s almost like European hours where they’re open a few hours and then closed and then open at night,” Houwman said.

The business is looking to hire a few more people — one for the early shift and one or two for the night shift.

The timing for its expanded hours also coincides with more activity coming to Washington Square at 12th Street and Main Avenue. Riccardo and Marybeth Tarabelsi opened Brix Wine Bar earlier this year and are working toward opening Maribella Ristorante there this fall.

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Downtown ice cream shop opts for year-round hours, adds sandwiches

Ice cream fans: You’ll now be able to visit downtown’s Parlour Ice Cream House all year plus find a new menu addition.

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