July 24, 2019

Shoppers from more than 1,000 miles away are about to descend on Sioux Falls for a massive warehouse sale at Filly Flair.

The online boutique is reducing prices on mostly summer merchandise Friday and Saturday, and inviting fans for a first look at its new warehouse, which opened late last year.

The two-story, 20,000-square-foot building is at 47195 Melissa Place, which is on the southwest corner of the Renner exit on Interstate 29.

It was built to include a retail storefront, but the business has experienced so much growth online that it made more sense to focus on that, owner Laura Benson said. She previously had a store in Sioux Falls at 57th Street and Louise Avenue but had a warehouse north of the city.

“I wanted to have all my staff and inventory in one location and really create an experience,” she said. “But sales were growing so quickly (online) we literally couldn’t hire fast enough. I had anyone I knew who would ship come in.”

By early this year, she still was debating opening the retail store, but online sales never slowed.

“By the time we hit April and May, we were up 80 to 90 percent. It was just unfathomable,” she said.

“So it was just decided that I needed to continue to focus on doing right by our customers and focusing on how we were improving our systems and how they shopped with us and their selection. If I divided my time into a storefront space I loved and built from scratch, it would not be a wise business decision at this time.”

Instead, customers will be able to shop in the space through pop-up sales a few times each year. The first will be from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Merchandise will be priced at $5, $10, $15 and $20.

“Everything is relevant to this year. The majority is summer blowout, but we do have some really cute long sleeves, tons of jeans and shoes that are year-round,” Benson said. “Plus a kids’ section, bath bombs, jewelry, accessories, and since we’ve had such a huge outpouring of support from customers who are traveling, we’ll have some new arrival racks of brand-new stuff that’s not even online.”

Filly Flair also is offering gift bags filled with surprise merchandise to the first 100 shoppers each day.

Customers have told Benson they are planning to come from multiple states, including someone from Pennsylvania. Many feel they have gotten to know her through her consistent live videos on Facebook.

“They just want to experience it and see where their clothes come from,” she said. “It’s the experience.”

To learn more about the sale, click here.