Three Wind Street businesses are making changes that will lead to more eating and drinking establishments in downtown Flandreau.
Brookings-based ROK Properties LLC has filed paperwork with the city for the transfer of the retail and off-sale liquor licenses for Wind Street Station and Wind Street Liquor Store to ROK Properties. That company is owned by Robert A. Haug of Brookings, who formerly lived outside of Flandreau for 25 years.
His son, Kyle, and Kyle’s wife, Wendi, plan to run the business as a bar and liquor store at least until the inventory is gone. The property came with more than 4,000 bottles of liquor, Robert Haug said. “It was just an opportunity.”
Kyle Haug has a construction company called Mob Builders in Brookings, and his wife is an interior designer. Both are Flandreau High School graduates, he in 1997 and she in 1998.
“We love the building, and that’s what really sold us on it,” he said. They hope to restore the upstairs to the way it was in 1901 and use it as apartments. “She’s got the vision. I’ve got the ability. It’ll be amazing when it’s done.”
The sale of the property was completed Monday morning. The family had looked at buying the building several years ago. “It was something that had always been in the back of our minds,” Kyle Haug said.
The bar’s name will stay the same, and the Haugs plan to open about May 1, as soon as the license process is completed at the state level. In the future, the business will either continue as a bar or will be used for some other type of retail business, he said.
Wind Street, which had been owned by Greg Corcoran, has been closed for more than five years. At one point, the city looked at whether it could condemn the property because of its condition, but improvements were done so that it meets code.
Up until this point, only one of the city’s three off-sale liquor licenses have been actively used. Bean and Vine in the West End Plaza sells packaged liquor but plans to close by July if a buyer for the business isn’t found.
The recent developments at Wind Street Station and Liquor Store and a new Mexican restaurant put all three licenses back in possession of active businesses.
Other business changes on the street finds that Kiko’s restaurant will remain open in its current location with a second Mexican restaurant moving in next door in the former BJ’s Fine Foods & Spirits.
Originally the two restaurants were planning to combine into one location at the new site, according to plans in February, but a partnership fell through and both restaurants will operate on Wind Street. Fajitas Bar and Grill is seeking a transfer of the liquor license from BJ’s. Fajitas is not open yet, but work is being completed inside.
Francisco Juarez, owner of Kiko’s, said he decided to stick with his established restaurant that opened in mid-September. “As long as the customers keep coming, we’ll be open,” he said answering some rumors heard over the weekend.
The partners didn’t agree on some operating details for the new place, he said.
“It is difficult working with partners,” he said.
He said the other partners, Nitza Rubenstein and German Hernandez, wanted to continue as Fajitas, which includes an off-sale liquor license. The transfer of that liquor license to Fajitas was scheduled to happen earlier this week at the Monday city council meeting.
The restaurant business is a tough business, said Juarez, who goes by the name Kiko. But he is thankful for the community’s support in pursuing his dream of restaurant ownership.
“I appreciate what the community does. I want to thank them,” he said. “People in Flandreau are very loyal. They’re friendly. I’m very proud to be here.”
The partners for Fajitas did not return a phone call to comment about details of their plans. Originally when they bought the business, they planned to serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, be open as a bar and sell off-sale alcohol.
