On the outside, it might seem like a bridal shop and a toy store would have nothing in common.
That’s not the case for Marie and Marie Bridal and Child’s Play Toys.
Located along Phillips Avenue, these neighboring women-owned small businesses are both focused on offering an “experience” in their respective industries and bringing life to downtown Sioux Falls.
Neighbors in the Boyce-Greeley building
Nancy Savage opened her toy store, Child’s Play Toys, in November 2009.
The Sioux Falls native moved back home from Seattle, where she had been living for years, to pursue her long-realized dream of entrepreneurship.
“I think I always knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur,” Nancy said, “but I was kind of afraid to do it. Taking that first step is the hard part.”
She began looking for storefronts downtown and caught wind of an upcoming vacancy in the Boyce-Greeley building — the former location of the Great Outdoor Store.
“And if I could have picked any spot in Sioux Falls to open a toy store, it would have been this corner,” Nancy said.
It would be nearly a decade before sisters Erin Rallis and Kayla Thompson (maiden name O’Connor) moved in next door.
Similar to Nancy, the sisters had always known they would one day own a business.
“Our dad owned his own business, so we grew up with a spirit of entrepreneurship,” Erin said.
As the story goes, Erin and Kayla both came up with the idea for a bridal shop separately. When they came together to discuss their plans, it was like fate had told them the time was now.
“We love the community and energy of downtown,” Kayla said, “so when we learned of the available space in the Boyce-Greeley building, we knew we had found our home.”
“We feel like downtown really is the ‘heart’ of Sioux Falls and are so grateful to be a part of it,” Erin added.
The sisters opened Marie and Marie Bridal in April 2018. They recently celebrated their six-year business anniversary.
Bringing an experience to downtown Sioux Falls
“We have brides from all over the country who tell us this was their favorite dress-shopping experience,” Erin said, “and nothing makes us happier than that.”
In order to compete with the big-city bridal shops like what you’d see on TV, Erin and Kayla were determined to provide brides with an unforgettable experience.
“We knew from the beginning that we had to make the experience here amazing,” Kayla said. “Each bride is assigned a stylist to help curate their bridal look and help them on their journey. We also serve mimosas and champagne to make the moment extra special.”
For a personal touch, each bride will have her own private bridal suite to try on dresses with her entourage.
And when she finds “the one,” her appointment will end with a “Said Yes to the Dress” group photo.
“We truly care about each and every bride and want to make them happy” Erin said.
“We’ve received so much positive feedback over the years from brides who absolutely loved their experience with us,” Kayla added. “We’re always looking to improve the Marie and Marie Bridal experience and find the newest trends.”
As for Nancy, her store was actually inspired by the big-city toy stores she and her daughter would peruse while living in Seattle.
“It’s a family environment,” Nancy said. “The fun, the toys, the store, the people. It’s just a positive, happy environment. I feel like it’s a party almost every day.”
There are toys out for kids to play with, and story time takes place every Tuesday morning at the downtown location — all parents and children welcome.
In the lower level of the store is a show-stopping book room, where all books in Nancy’s inventory are displayed on individual shelves.
“It takes up more room,” Nancy said, “but it’s worth it for the enhanced shopping experience we can provide.”
Nancy also boasts about her knowledgeable and dedicated staff.
With their many years of experience working in the store, and the experience they’ve accumulated as parents themselves, they can help you find the right toy, book, or treat for any age and circumstance.
“And another thing is, we offer free gift wrap,” Nancy said. “People love free gift wrap. Like on Saturday mornings, people will come in specifically because they’re on their way to a party and they know that we’ll do gift wrap for them.”
It doesn’t happen overnight
The thing about creating the best customer experience is that it takes time, trial and error, learning from mistakes, and overcoming hardships all along the way.
Despite a nearly 10-year difference in the age of their businesses, Nancy, Erin, and Kayla can identify similar pain points that have afflicted their entrepreneurial journeys.
From day one, both Nancy and the sisters were challenged with securing financing for their businesses.
“Getting funding was my first hurdle,” Nancy said. “I thought many times, ‘Okay, that’s it. Then I’m done.’ But I kept trying.”
“When I found out one time that I hadn’t gotten an SBA loan from a bank,” she continued, “I was like, ‘All right, what do I do now?’ And then, ‘Nope, I’m going to keep trying.’”
Erin and Kayla credit Business Banker Derek Ohme with helping them finally put their dreams into motion.
“We met with Derek at First National about acquiring a loan after we had put our business plan together,” Erin said. “He was so supportive from day one and helped us make our dream a reality.”
Nancy, too, found a banker — initially at a different bank — who believed in her business, and “I would not be here if it wasn’t for [that banker], because he gave me that chance.”
But the biggest challenge, as you can probably guess, was the COVID pandemic.
“It was a scary time,” Kayla said.
Marie and Marie Bridal had to shut down and wait out the nation-wide restrictions that affected their ability to do business.
Next door, Nancy had also closed her store but was hatching up a plan to keep business moving: Easter baskets.
The team at Child’s Play Toys assembled and delivered more than 300 Easter baskets to community members that spring — an act that not only kept the business afloat, but has also become a point of connection and tradition between the toy store and the Sioux Falls community.
According to Erin and Kayla, whose business was only two years old at the time, the support they received from loved ones helped them pull through.
“We have the best support system,” Erin said. “Our husbands and families have been encouraging and always willing to lend a hand. They were so supportive during the stressful early years.”
They also say the support and reassurance from their banker was a major factor in what helped them outlast the pandemic.
For Derek, there was never any question of whether the business would succeed.
“They wanted to bring an overall experience to our community and not just your typical wedding dress shop,” Derek said. “They came to me with a business plan that was well-thought out, and they had the passion and determination to make their dream a reality in downtown Sioux Falls.”
Women in business
According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, there are currently more than 13 million women-owned businesses in the nation.
“I think it’s a plus, being a woman in business,” Nancy said. “A lot of people do like to support women-owned businesses.”
For Erin and Kayla, owning a bridal store has the added benefit of doing business in a primarily female industry.
“The bridal world is female-driven,” Erin said, “and we’ve met so many amazing women over the years.”
But — despite the support they’ve received in their respective industries — Nancy, Erin, and Kayla still feel the daily pressures of being women in business.
“Mom guilt is definitely real,” said Kayla, who is the mother of three boys.
“Especially in the beginning, there were lots of Saturday activities that we had to miss,” added Erin, who has two boys of her own.
Nancy has one daughter, who was just 4 years old when Child’s Play Toys opened.
She admits that there have been upsides and drawbacks to owning a business as a parent.
“It’s not easy,” Nancy said. “You have to work hard. I’m working early mornings, and I’m working at night when I’m watching TV with my daughter.”
On the flip side, “it does give you that flexibility,” she added. “With my daughter, I could go to her plays. I could go to her concerts at 1:00 in the afternoon. I could do those things that I wanted to do.”
Six years into their business, Erin and Kayla have begun to find more of that balance themselves.
“As our business has matured, we’ve been able to balance our time better,” Kayla said. “We make sure that we aren’t missing out on the special moments, and we really prioritize family time. We know our kids won’t be this little for long, so we cherish every moment we can get.”
Nancy says it also helps to have a banker who understands what she’s been through to get where she is.
She began working with Business Banker Jill Mockler last year.
“Jill, as a person and as a woman, understands so much of what I’m going through as a business owner,” Nancy said. “She cares about the person as a whole and about the business as a whole, so I think that’s why I was drawn to her.”
Both Jill and Nancy currently have a child in college, which, according to Nancy, makes her feel like they’re in a similar place in their lives.
“We’ve probably gone through a lot of the same things in our careers,” Nancy said. “Just having that connection with somebody, where you click with them — she understands what I’m going through.”
As for Jill, the opportunity to work with an established and successful female entrepreneur is not something she takes lightly.
“I’ve enjoyed working with Nancy, who is such a resilient person,” Jill said. “‘Give up’ just isn’t in her vocabulary. She certainly has been a survival story when it comes to small retail — beating the odds that many national retailers couldn’t. I’m grateful that her story has taught me even more about what it takes to make a small business work.”
Advice for the aspiring female entrepreneurs
Even after the mom guilt and the pandemic and every other obstacle they’ve faced, Nancy, Erin, and Kayla would still recommend that other women dreaming of entrepreneurship take the leap.
“It’s not an easy road,” Erin said, “but it can be incredibly rewarding.”
To those women, Erin and Kayla would also offer this advice: “Before you start, do market research to make sure there is a need for your product or service. Meeting with the Small Business Administration was also very helpful for us in the beginning; they are a wealth of knowledge, and talking through the details of our business was very beneficial.”
Meanwhile, Nancy would offer these words of encouragement: “Don’t give up. Keep going, because it’s worth it. It’s worth it to have your own business and be able to support yourself and your family.”
If you want to learn more about either of these women-owned small businesses, check out the full Marie and Marie Bridal story or Child’s Play Toys story!
And if you’re looking for a partner to start or grow your business with, reach out to our Business Banking team. We’d be happy to help!
