December July 2022
Downtown’s longest-running boutique may soon have a new owner.
Chelsea Giedd, owner of Chelsea’s Boutique, has put the store up for sale to focus on her next career path.
In a deeply personal statement, Giedd shared that she has struggled to deal with multiple past traumas that have focused her on life outside of retail.
The store started in Chamberlain when she was 20, “with my first child,” she said. “It’s hard (hard. It’s not easy at all, and I’m going to grieve for a while, but I also know I’ve been called to do something different, and the store is ready for a new leader. It’s not that I There’s no interest in that; it’s just that things change and shift.”
Now a mother, Giedd spends part time at home while focusing approximately 90% of her working time on her second venture, My Purposeful Life, where she uses her skills as a Reiki master and teacher to help Women navigate transformation and discover their purpose in life. She also offers workshops and events, and produces podcasts.
“I’m very lucky that I have such a great team in the store,” she said. “I can’t tell you when the last time I was on the floor. I literally built a business that most entrepreneurs only dream of being able to get their hands on what they love most. Teams work one-on-one to build them and work towards the future of the business.”
She plans to continue running the 16-employee company until a buyer is found. Unlike many boutiques, 90% of Chelsea’s business is generated in-store, with the rest online. It opened in downtown Sioux Falls in 2013 and is currently located at 220 S. Phillips Ave. More than six years.
“I’ve never pushed for online marketing, it’s not the trend in the boutique world,” she said. “But the in-store experience and the love for the customer has always meant a lot to me, and we can’t replicate that online. There’s a lot of potential; there’s nothing that excites me.”
She shared that life has presented her with multiple struggles over the past year. It also points to a new opportunity for her. While going through childhood sexual trauma, she attended two spiritual retreats that helped her begin her recovery.
“It made me realize how alone I felt, and there’s no manual saying if this happens to you, here’s a step-by-step guide,” she says. “It feels lonely, which is what I usually do if there’s nothing out there. I’m going to create it.”
She is one of two American women who are going through a two-year certification program with 30 participants worldwide to become a shamanic womb healer.
“We’re really learning how to help women who have experienced past trauma release it without having to carry it for the rest of their lives,” she said.
Her vision includes a potential retreat center in Costa Rica where women can focus on healing. Two out of four women have experienced some sort of sexual trauma in the past, Gide said.
“For me, it was too much,” she said.
“I want people to know that it’s okay to be unwell, it’s okay to need help, it’s okay to make tough decisions. One of the reasons I’m here is to share my story and share it with others and say if you’ve been through it too It’s all okay.”
Gide said several people she knows are considering buying the store, but nothing has been finalized yet.
Ideally, she hopes to seal a deal by summer, but “I’m not in a rush,” she said. “I’m not going to sell it to just anyone. It has to fit perfectly and I have to know they’re going to love it as much as I do.”
To learn more about buying Chelsea’s Boutique, click here.