The old Sears space at The Empire Mall now has a climbing wall, golf bays with launch monitors, a batting and soccer cage, and an outdoor turf field. Farther east, the former Hobby Lobby on 41st Street has been leased to an indoor adventure park with trampolines, foam pits and a ninja course.
For anyone in Prairie Hills, a neighborhood reached by West 49th Street and Western Avenue with the 41st Street corridor as its nearby retail hub, that changes the corridor's purpose. The largest spaces refilled this fall were designed around activity and time spent on site. The smaller openings around them, a new breakfast spot, a new family restaurant and a new market, are following the same idea. By the first real cold snap, much of what this side of town can do indoors will sit in buildings people have driven past for years.
The Old Sears Now Has a Turf Field
Dick's House of Sport opened in the former Sears space and replaces the Dick's Sporting Goods store that was already at the mall, SiouxFalls.Business reported. The format dates to 2021 and is built to be more hands-on than a standard sporting goods store. The Sioux Falls location covers more than 100,000 square feet.
Inside, the store is set up so shoppers can try gear before buying it:
- A climbing wall
- Several golf bays with TrackMan simulators
- A multisport cage for baseball, softball, lacrosse and soccer, where athletes can test equipment and track their performance
- An outdoor turf field
The grand opening weekend was set for Nov. 6 through 8. Retired NFL kicker and South Dakota native Adam Vinatieri was scheduled for the ribbon cutting, and retired tight end Kyle Rudolph for a fan meet-and-greet. Regular hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. No new use has been finalized for the original Dick's Sporting Goods space, so one more mall vacancy is still waiting for a tenant.
The TrackMan bays and the multisport cage put indoor practice space for golfers and young athletes inside the mall, which counts for more once winter sets in.
The Hobby Lobby Box Is Next
The second-largest refill follows the same idea at a bigger scale. NRG Adventure Park, which calls itself "an extreme indoor playground," has leased the former Hobby Lobby in the retail center off 41st Street between Grange and West avenues, according to SiouxFalls.Business. The space was once slated for a similar trampoline concept that never went ahead.
Head of operations Zachary Wittman described the concept to the outlet:
"NRG is a next-level indoor playground/adventure zone where kids, teens and adults can be active together. We're built for high-energy fun but in a clean, safe, climate-controlled space that works year-round."
Planned features include trampolines, ball pits, climbing structures, slides and foam pits. There will be a separate toddler area, a ninja course and dodgeball for older kids, plus neon-light and sensory-friendly sessions and an arcade with a redemption center. NRG sells daily passes and several membership options, and it books birthday parties, school groups and team events.
It is expected to open sometime in 2027, which puts it a season behind the store at the mall.
Inside the Mall, the Smaller Spaces Are Filling Too
The anchor change has been reshaping the mall's interior. Toys R Us opened in a large space close to the interior entrance to Dick's House of Sport, in a space a Go Calendar seasonal store had used. With holiday shopping under way, the two biggest additions now sit near the same entrance.
Scooter's Coffee opened inside the mall in the former Caribou Coffee space. It is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, SiouxFalls.Business reported.
The food court has changed as well. Asian Wok Express opened there, and Agua Fresh is coming back to its old food court spot, which Cinnabon most recently occupied.
Taken together, a family can now climb, shop for toys, get coffee and eat lunch inside one building.
Breakfast, Dinner and Groceries Have New Addresses
The restaurant openings along 41st Street fit the same pattern. Each is a place meant for sitting down, not just a quick stop.
Early Bird opened Aug. 10 at 3101 W. 41st St., in the building many longtime residents remember as Fuddruckers and, more recently, Jacky's Burrito Express. Local franchisees Fred and Amy Preator serve breakfast, brunch and lunch with a full liquor license. Hours are 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.
Mi Ranchito No. 1 opened in late September at 5309 W. 41st St., in the former Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant space. Owners Jamie Delgado and his wife, Evelia Chavez, previously partnered in Mi Ranchito Mexican Restaurant in Pierre. Delgado is the main chef and has more than 25 years of experience. His family is from Jalisco, and most of the 10-page menu follows that state's cooking. Chavez's family is from neighboring Nayarit, and one full page of the menu is seafood. Evelia's sister, Mary Chavez, described the goal to SiouxFalls.Business: "We want them to come here, enjoy our food but also enjoy the place and the people."
Estrella Cuban Market opened recently at 1412 W. 41st St. It adds a specialty grocery to the east end of the corridor and is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, closed Mondays, according to SiouxFalls.Business.
What Opens Next, and What Waits
Three more openings are on the calendar, and each is on a different timeline.
| Business | Location | What it replaces | Expected opening |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raising Cane's | 4004 W. 41st St., across from The Empire Mall | New location | Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2026 |
| Qdoba | 5001 W. Lake Shore Blvd., Lake Lorraine | Former Starbucks | Late 2026 or early 2027 |
| NRG Adventure Park | 41st Street between Grange and West avenues | Former Hobby Lobby | 2027 |
Raising Cane's is the closest. The chain announced that its first Sioux Falls location, and the first in South Dakota, will open Tuesday, Nov. 17. The menu centers on hand-battered chicken finger meals with Cane's sauce, crinkle-cut fries, Cane's toast and coleslaw. The opening-day celebration includes a drawing for free Raising Cane's for a year, along with entertainment, SiouxFalls.Business reported. KWSN reported in late October that the building was nearly finished.
Qdoba's fifth Sioux Falls location will take over the former Starbucks at Lake Lorraine and keep the drive-through for mobile-order pickup. It was under construction this fall, KELOLAND reported, with the developer renovating the old coffee shop for the new tenant.
When NRG opens, the former Sears and the former Hobby Lobby will both be places built for spending a few hours rather than running an errand.
When a corridor near home starts adding places like these, it can change how buyers view the neighborhoods around it. If you own in Prairie Hills and are curious how this stretch of 41st Street fits into your home's value, Danielle Konechne can prepare a private, carefully researched valuation that accounts for what is opening nearby. Get a Free Home Valuation whenever the timing is right for you.
