<body><div>Thursday morning, pallets of books stood on the boardwalk outside Awaken Wild Books, waiting to be unpacked and put on the shelves.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=46GYuV_1H28H8wh00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=46GYuV_1H28H8wh00" width="1920" height="1440" ></figure>The new stock arrived on Awaken Wild’s third day of operation, after a spur-of-the-moment grand opening drew customers in such numbers that the shelves were left a little bare.It was a great start to a venture that has been co-owner Danielle Stelpflug’s dream for many years.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2XpzLN_1H28H8wh00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2XpzLN_1H28H8wh00" width="1189" height="1320" ></figure>“This (desire) just kept getting louder and louder in me,” she said. “It’s been in me since I was a little kid, but now’s the time. It’s now or never.”Awaken Wild Books intended to open this weekend at 8th &amp; Railroad Center, 401 E. Eighth St., but late last week, when everything seemed to be falling in place, Stelpflug decided not to delay. It was open Saturday and Sunday to great response, she said.Because stock had been depleted, it closed on Tuesday and Wednesday but now will resume its planned hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday. It will be closed on Sundays and Mondays.The unofficial grand opening far exceeded her hopes, Stelpflug said.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3GRLzu_1H28H8wh00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3GRLzu_1H28H8wh00" width="1920" height="1440" ></figure>“It felt so overwhelming and wonderful,” she said. “We had family come and friends come and met so many wonderful people, and we had authors reach out and chat with us. It’s just been really wonderful.”As the business progresses, Stelpflug will offer Friday community nights, which will feature various events. As an example, a local author reached out about reading poetry from her new book.Creating community and offering a space for local authors to share their work are two of her goals, Stelpflug said. She wants Awaken Wild to be one of the places fiction and nonfiction writers and poets can display their books.Multiple book clubs have reached out to Stelpflug about meeting within her store. The space offers an area where six to eight people can gather to discuss books or the writing process. It also has chairs and a fireplace to give people a chance to comfortably sit and read. Tea is available now; a small refrigerator will be installed for other drinks.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=388EWi_1H28H8wh00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=388EWi_1H28H8wh00" width="1920" height="1440" ></figure>“We’re just hoping to be a place where people can find a great read, but we’re also hoping people can gather and have conversations and hear from people with like and differing opinions,” Stelpflug said.Even when she lived in northwest Iowa, Stelpflug and her family would come to Sioux Falls to attend book readings and author fairs hosted by Siouxland Libraries, she said.Stelpflug and her partner have a combined family with five children. The kids helped in preparing the store for its opening, painting walls and sweeping and vacuuming the floor. They also gave input into what books should be carried in the children’s section.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1VfJY6_1H28H8wh00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1VfJY6_1H28H8wh00" width="1920" height="1440" ></figure>“They all really love to read and have their idea of what is a quality read,” Stelpflug said.That’s one reason why Stelpflug decided to offer multiple genres, not focus on one area.“I thought about that, but I struggled to niche down just because I have kiddos, and they want their section,” she said. “I could bounce from this side to that side within the same day, from fiction to nonfiction. It depends on how I feel and what’s happening in my life.”<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1Btqgj_1H28H8wh00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1Btqgj_1H28H8wh00" width="1920" height="1440" ></figure>A native of southwest Wisconsin, Stelpflug and her ex-husband farmed near Spencer, Iowa, for 15 years before they decided to change their lives and move apart. She worked in counseling for several years before moving to Sioux Falls two years ago.The months between the move and opening Awaken Wild gave her a chance to explore several paths. Ultimately, the interior “drumming,” as Stelpflug describes it, led her to the bookstore. She chose the name carefully, but it’s difficult to put into words what it means to her, she said.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=20yAv1_1H28H8wh00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=20yAv1_1H28H8wh00" width="1920" height="1440" ></figure>“It’s hard for me to describe the feeling about that,” she said. “It’s an acknowledgement of your life having many turns and doing your best and choosing every time, and life is really wonderful and wild.”Support from others has been tremendous, Stelpflug said.“This is my dream, but I did not get here alone. I have had so much help,” she said. “Every time I look around here, I see the guy that helped with the flooring because we didn’t know how to floor … and the antique store gentleman who delivered to me after hours because we decided we were going to open the next day. Just so many people helped this become something.”</div></body>

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Thursday morning, pallets of books stood on the boardwalk outside Awaken Wild Books, waiting to be unpacked and put on the shelves. The new stock arrived on Awaken Wild’s third day of operation, after a spur-of-the-moment grand opening drew customers in such numbers that the shelves were left a little bare.

New bookstore opens in downtown Sioux Falls

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Thursday morning, pallets of books stood on the boardwalk outside Awaken Wild Books, waiting to be unpacked and put on the shelves. The new stock arrived o

New bookstore opens in downtown Sioux Falls

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