A Fresh Beginning: Bella Rosa

Downtown Sioux Falls is blossoming, and with that comes a familiar business with a new space and services to offer. Bella Rosa, a local floral shop owned by Leigh McCoy and her mother, Ann, is becoming a resident of the new Jones421 building, joining companies like The Source Roastery + Taproom and Boki Gelato. As they anxiously await their opening date this month, the team is putting the finishing touches on the shop. McCoy sat down with 605 to talk flowers, weddings, and home décor.

“We actually started out of my home, which was a pretty good setup until we started doing rentals,” said McCoy. “After that, we moved to a warehouse in Harrisburg, but I was still missing out on the retail side of the business, so when this lease became available, I knew it was the next step.”

McCoy says this new location is expected to bring new clients, as well as a different kind of business. Guests can enter through the open mall or through the historic green doors off of Phillips Avenue.

“There are a lot of factors that go into the floral business, because it’s a perishable product. but the beauty of the final product makes everything worth it.”

“The green door wall will allow our flowers to be set out in a way that people can pick what they want,” explained McCoy. “It will be very similar to a European market feel, which will set us apart from other florists in the area.”

Not only will Bella Rosa offer an open-market feel, but they’re keeping their engaged couples in mind as well. The new space will have a wedding consultation room, complete with custom-made wallpaper that represents the creativity that goes into their arrangements.

“We created this beautiful bouquet and then had it photographed and turned into a painting,” said McCoy. “From there, it was developed into a wallpaper.”

With inspiration at the base of their business, McCoy wanted to be able to show clients the creative process that goes into bouquets by building a flower bar that will look into their design room from the hallway. Customers will be able to see their arrangement from start to finish, and also invite other customers of the building into their store.

“While we ourselves won’t be serving drinks at the bar, people will be allowed to take what they have purchased from The Source and enjoy our shop at the same time,” mentioned McCoy.

“There is definitely a sense of community within the building, which is something I think lacks in Sioux Falls because of how spread out we are as a city,” she continued.

Along with flowers, the company will sell home décor and gifts, offering eclectic and unique pieces, sprinkled with whatever is trending in the moment. This addition is meant to match the increase of foot traffic they expect to see, especially in the warmer months. 

“With this new location means areas to grow. Geared towards weddings and other large events, McCoy plans on being more hands-on with the rentals and event planning side of things, along with their established floral expertise.”

Wanting to stay away from traditional flower shops, McCoy says she likes to stray from the typical rules of the trade, including old school design elements and washed out colors. 

“I love when couples come to us willing to take a risk on color and shade combinations,” she said. “Having that trust with our clients is really important to the creative process and the unique experience in general.”

Another unique feature McCoy presents to clients is the ability to work with what they have. For example, McCoy prides herself in taking flowers clients bring in to the shop and incorporating them into the arrangement.

“We strive to do things like this for our clients, because it’s special details like that that make things that much more personal,” said McCoy.

For more information, visit bellarosafloral.com.