Plains Commerce, Flyboy Donuts to combine for southeast-side location
July 15, 2019
The intersection of 57th Street and Sycamore Avenue is starting to fill in with retail.
Plains Commerce Bank plans to start construction soon on a building it will share with Flyboy Donuts.
The bank has owned land on the northeast corner since late 2017.
Executive vice president Jason Appel was convinced the bank needed to build as he repeatedly drove by and noticed increased traffic, including at The Barrel House restaurant nearby.
“It became apparent to me we needed to get to that part of town,” he said. “The developer had a concept of trying to use that corner for the highest and best visibility, and with that came hopefully the opportunity to bring a retail concept as well.”
The bank plans to build an 1,800-square-foot branch with a lobby that will be shared with Flyboy Donuts. The doughnut shop will open an 800-square-foot space that will include a drive-thru.
“It’s a unique opportunity to have a shared space as well as a pretty small footprint that’s really all that’s required for a doughnut shop,” Flyboy owner Ben Duenwald said. “It makes sense, and especially with a drive-thru and a quick in-and-out business model, it works well.”
Plains Commerce has had success co-locating with retailers on West 49th Street where it shares a building with PizzaRev and The Barbershop, Appel said.
“We reached out to Ben before we even purchased the piece of ground to gauge his interest,” Appel said. “We’ve talked for the better part of a year, and we’re excited we’re going to be able to share space and hopefully create a great customer experience for both of us.”
The new Flyboy will have a similar vintage repurposed look to the location on East 10th Street and meets the retailer’s strategy of eventually being in every quadrant of Sioux Falls.
“We’re trying to make it easier to get to our doughnut shop. If you’re on the southeast side, it takes awhile,” Duenwald said. “We also hope to showcase our coffee brand a little more because we’ll be able to have espresso blends, pressure-brewed coffees, lattes, as well as doughnuts through the drive-thru.”
The relationship also has some longer and deeper ties. Plains Commerce was founded as The Bank of Hoven in that north-central South Dakota town more than 80 years ago. That’s also Duenwald’s hometown.
“So there’s definitely a connection,” Duenwald said. “I also do personal and business banking with them, so it’s a full circle.”
The new bank branch will be a full-service location and the third in Sioux Falls for Plains Commerce. It also will be Flyboy’s third Sioux Falls location.
“It’s a huge sense of pride for us to go back to our roots, and Ben’s been a loyal customer for a long time,” Appel said.
“The real driver of the project is this neighborhood. We’re super excited to join the neighborhood and provide this convenience, and obviously there’s potential for growth. Our products are a little different, but we go back to Hoven with our roots and how we do business with a hometown feel. We’re excited to demonstrate that to the neighborhood.”
The plan is to start construction soon and open next spring. There also will be another connected 2,500-square-foot building that is envisioned as retail space.
The development on that corner is collectively being called The Market and includes a fast-food lot for sale as well as an office lot south of The Barrel House.
