By Robbi Longbrake
BELLE FOURCHE—There is this cute little shop on State Street that recently opened and when you walk through the door of the shop you are met with the most delightful smell. It is a sweet flowery fragrance that fills the air and it is heavenly. One could say it is because it is a flower shop, but it is more than that. Dakota Petals opened their doors December 20, 2024 and perhaps it is an opening that was meant to be.
After working as a florist off and on for the past 15 years, Erica Douglas, owner got the itch to start creating flower arrangements again. “This fall, I kind of got a hankering to do it again and so I opened up in October, just doing online and phone in orders,” she explained. “It was serendipitous, because about three weeks later, on the night of the election, November 5, I got a phone call from my realtor saying that the Hutchinson family would like to accept the offer I made on this building a year ago. This had been completely out of my mind, so I kind of sat there in disbelief.”
After the shock wore off, she and her husband decided to jump at the chance to have a flower shop on State Street. In the past Douglas had a few shops that were off the beaten path and didn’t get a lot of foot traffic. “I’ve never, ever had the opportunity to have a shop in the heartbeat of town, I’m so excited! I cannot wait to be a part of the community. I love the people coming in and looky-looing and just seeing what we have and making conversation. It’s exactly what I wanted,” said Douglas.
It is an older building, but the Douglas family has a plan for its future. “It’s a 125 year old building. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done. We’re going to be residing and reinsulating the whole thing. We’re building a kitchen in the back,” explained Douglas. “We’re also going to redo the front of it so it’s going to look bright and shiny and new for Main Street! I’m thrilled to be in here!”
The coolers are full of flowers and the shelves are filling up. The entire case full of fine chocolate is ready. Douglas hopes to offer a one-stop gift shop atmosphere along with her flower shop. “I want to carry unique brands. I’m working with a lady in Pennsylvania, an Amish gal, regarding spices and some home cookery things. I’ve got the chocolates, I’ve got herbal teas. I just really want to keep it very gift centered. You know, balloons, chocolates, flowers, plants, gifts to pamper. But still keeping it classic flower shop,” explained Douglas.
Douglas wanted to offer something a bit different from the other businesses in town, so she decided to offer high quality chocolate out of Minnesota. “People seem really excited about the chocolate, so that’s great,” she said. The shop offers truffles for $2.50 each or you can buy bulk chocolate by the pound. “We have gift boxes and we have all the all the accessories to make a really polished and beautiful gift,” she added.
After the commercial kitchen is finished in the back of the building, about 50 percent of the chocolate will be made in house. “Since I’m going to be using the kitchen very sparingly, a few hours a month to get the chocolate out, we’re going to be renting out the commercial kitchen to other small businesses that need that for certification purposes,” said Douglas.
Dakota Petals business has created two new full-time position in Belle Fourche and hopes to add more as things get going. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. This store is a drop off and pick up location for Speedy Delivery—a Midwest only shipping company.
Douglas expressed, “I’m just so grateful to the Hutchinson family for this opportunity, this does make me very happy!” She is a busy mom of four kids, Calvin, Winston, Sophia and Esther and is married to Doug. “My husband is such a great guy, I just want to publicly thank my husband for all the support he’s given me and all of my endeavors through the years. I couldn’t do it without him!”
