Sept. 10, 2019

A Tea boutique with a large online following is expanding to downtown Sioux Falls with a second location.

Laurie Belle’s Boutique will take over the space that’s currently Palmer Lea Boutique at 206 S. Phillips Ave.

Owner Laurie Karlson started the business out of her basement in Tea, and it has grown steadily ever since, with a Facebook following of almost 500,000 people.

She opened a new storefront in 2018 and moved into a new warehouse earlier this year.

The Sioux Falls location “came up really quickly,” she said. “It seems to be the way things work for us. We get these ideas, and we just kind of run with them. We’re always trying to find new ways to innovate and grow.”

She thought about an expansion to downtown for about six months as she started to frequent the area more often for photo shoots and events.

“And my eyes were just opened to how crazy the expansion is down there and the energy and the excitement of everything going on down there, so I just felt like it would be a fun move for us. I’m always surprised when we’re out at different events how many people in Sioux Falls still don’t know about us, so it will be a fun way to get our name out there.”

She plans to buy Palmer Lea’s inventory and mix in her own to start. Palmer Lea owner Kayleen Leonard is getting out of retail to pursue a new career. Palmer Lea will close Thursday, and Karlson will have about two weeks to do renovations and inventory changes before reopening Oct. 1 in time for the next downtown First Friday.

“We’re doing a little face lift on the front and a bunch of stuff inside,” she said. “It’s a beautiful store. We just want to put our stamp on it.”

Laurie Belle’s merchandise caters to all ages with stylish but versatile apparel and accessories, she added.

“I just feel like we have a wide variety of options for all ages and sizes,” Karlson said. “As we’ve grown, we’ve expanded the brands we carry, so we do have high-end brands, but probably 80 percent of what we carry is $50 and below.”

The downtown store “will still be our look and vibe and price point,” she said. “We’re going to keep our prices affordable and what our customers are used to.”

Laurie Belle’s is hiring for the new store. The assistant manager in Tea will manage the Sioux Falls store, but there are openings for full-time, part-time and weekend help. To learn more, click here. 

“We’re a fun team, and we’re definitely looking,” Karlson said. “And we’re excited because the opening is coinciding with a huge influx of our clothing line. October is kind of chaotic, but I’m excited to get our line down here.”

Boutique shopping, barbecue specialties found in trip to Tea