Rapid City Living

Rapid City Living Rapid City happenings, local businesses and real estate. All things Rapid City (except the crime and politics). Rapid City, SD is the best town for hours around.

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08/31/2026

New thrift store to add to your treasure hunting list! Starburst Thrift has officially opened at 1655 South Valley Drive in Rapid City.

Thrift stores are becoming more popular than ever. Whether you're looking to stretch your budget, find unique furniture, vintage clothing, home décor, books, collectibles, or just enjoy the thrill of the hunt, every visit is different because the inventory changes constantly.

Maybe I'll find another fun T-shirt to add to my collection. At this point, my closet is becoming its own thrift store.

🚨 Get the scoop on Rapid City every other week in your inbox! The Rapid City Lowdown brings you local news, cool businesses, city meeting updates, and all the buzz around town. Comment LOWDOWN for the link.
👉 I'm Tristan Emond, a local REALTOR® w Mindful Living Realty - giving you all the Good Stuff about Living in Rapid City. I keep up with what’s going around Rapid City so you don’t gotta! 💓

08/28/2026

Researchers at South Dakota Mines are advancing something called NanoGuard — an invisible, nanometer-thin coating designed to protect sensitive equipment from things like corrosion and biological buildup.

Now, if you're wondering what a nanometer is... it's ridiculously small. A human hair is roughly 70,000 to 100,000 nanometers thick, while this coating works at the nanoscale — creating a protective layer thousands of times thinner than a hair.

The cool part? It doesn't change the size, shape, or performance of the device it's protecting. Think of it like an invisible force field — except instead of protecting the Millennium Falcon, it's protecting things like sensors, microelectronics, and other high-value equipment.

The technology is designed to help solve some expensive problems. Corrosion and biological buildup can damage underwater sensors, industrial equipment, and critical infrastructure. NanoGuard could help reduce the need for constant cleaning, replacement, recalibration, and chemical treatments.

The team behind the technology recently completed the National Science Foundation's I-Corps program, a national commercialization program that helps move research from the laboratory into the marketplace.

More cool stuff from smart people!

🚨 Get the scoop on Rapid City every other week in your inbox! The Rapid City Lowdown brings you local news, cool businesses, city meeting updates, and all the buzz around town. Comment LOWDOWN for the link.
👉 I'm Tristan Emond, a local REALTOR® w Mindful Living Realty - giving you all the Good Stuff about Living in Rapid City. I keep up with what’s going around Rapid City so you don’t gotta! 💓

08/26/2026

A new premium storage facility on this week's "What is THAT Building" Wednesday?

MAK Storage is planning a new facility at 751 East Disk Drive, right along the I-90 corridor near the LaCrosse Street exit. This isn't your grandma's storage unit.

MAK operates what it calls Mega MAK Storage, and the company specializes in what it describes as premium, oversized, heated storage.

These premium self-storage facility features state-of-the-art units with 12x14 overhead doors, walk-in doors, automatic high bay LED lighting, climate controlled, outlets in units and units 650 square feet and up. Flexible uses! Ideal for contractors, plumbers, electricians and more.

We got alot of stuff. Why not store it someplace cool?

🚨 Get the scoop on Rapid City every other week in your inbox! The Rapid City Lowdown brings you local news, cool businesses, city meeting updates, and all the buzz around town. Comment LOWDOWN for the link.
👉 I'm Tristan Emond, a local REALTOR® w Mindful Living Realty - giving you all the Good Stuff about Living in Rapid City. I keep up with what’s going around Rapid City so you don’t gotta! 💓

08/25/2026

Coming REALLY SOON - Atomic Wings is planning to open at 4040 Cheyenne Boulevard, Suite A, on the east side of Rapid City - right across from McDonalds Exit 61. This national franchise has 2 locations in Sioux Falls and we are getting one of our own.

From the owner: Our Chicken and Fresh Cut Fries are FRESH NEVER FROZEN and MADE TO ORDER. So, you can order ahead of time and come to the restaurant, get your food just made for you and sit down and enjoy or take to go.....totally up to you! We will have hand scooped handmade milkshakes, tap/can cold beer, With the Wind Wine, and eventually handmade Dirty Soda's later this year!

We have fantastic everyday value for everyone and especially families with kids as our kids meals start at $4.99! We do catering and large pick up orders as well.

Time to wing!

🚨 Get the scoop on Rapid City every other week in your inbox! The Rapid City Lowdown brings you local news, cool businesses, city meeting updates, and all the buzz around town. Comment LOWDOWN for the link.
👉 I'm Tristan Emond, a local REALTOR® w Mindful Living Realty - giving you all the Good Stuff about Living in Rapid City. I keep up with what’s going around Rapid City so you don’t gotta! 💓

08/21/2026

South Dakota just got another financial gold star — and honestly, it’s a bigger deal than most people realize.
S&P Global Ratings has reaffirmed South Dakota’s AAA credit rating, which is the highest rating possible. Basically, if states had a financial report card, South Dakota just got the big shiny A-plus sticker.

Now, I know what you’re thinking…
“Tristan, congratulations. The state’s credit score is great. Should I throw a party?” Maybe not a parade down Main Street, but this actually matters to all of us.

A credit rating is kind of like a personal credit score — except instead of measuring whether you pay your car loan on time, it’s measuring how financially responsible an entire state is. When companies are deciding where to expand, when developers are looking at new projects, and when communities are investing in infrastructure, financial stability matters.

South Dakota joins a select group of states holding S&P’s AAA rating. According to S&P’s current state ratings list, only a portion of states receive that top-level rating.

🚨 Get the scoop on Rapid City every other week in your inbox! The Rapid City Lowdown brings you local news, cool businesses, city meeting updates, and all the buzz around town. Comment LOWDOWN for the link.
👉 I'm Tristan Emond, a local REALTOR® w Mindful Living Realty - giving you all the Good Stuff about Living in Rapid City. I keep up with what’s going around Rapid City so you don’t gotta! 💓

08/19/2026

More retail spaces on this week's "What is THAT Building?" Wednesday.

You've seen the build in the parking lot between Knecht's Ace Hardware and Natural Grocers. It's additional retail space to be rented out - all part of the old Albertson's Building remodel into "The Harvest" retail mall.

No information that I am aware of regarding potential tenants. The developer is working on finding tenants.

🚨 Get the scoop on Rapid City every other week in your inbox! The Rapid City Lowdown brings you local news, cool businesses, city meeting updates, and all the buzz around town. Comment LOWDOWN for the link.
👉 I'm Tristan Emond, a local REALTOR® w Mindful Living Realty - giving you all the Good Stuff about Living in Rapid City. I keep up with what’s going around Rapid City so you don’t gotta! 💓

Get your young performers registered!
08/17/2026

Get your young performers registered!

08/17/2026

If you've been putting off getting new glasses because every place feels... well... like buying office supplies, here's something new in Rapid City that might change your mind.

True Essence Optical Boutique has officially opened its doors in Rapid City, bringing a different approach to eyewear shopping. You'll find them at 36 East Stumer Road, Suite 106 - in the strip mall next to Walmart.

Instead of rows and rows of the same frames, they're focusing on the boutique experience. That means curated eyewear, one-on-one service, and options that fit just about every budget.

If you're in the market for new glasses, sunglasses, or contacts, or you've just been wanting a place that takes a little more time helping you find the right fit, True Essence Optical Boutique is now open and ready to help.

🚨 Get the scoop on Rapid City every other week in your inbox! The Rapid City Lowdown brings you local news, cool businesses, city meeting updates, and all the buzz around town. Comment LOWDOWN for the link.
👉 I'm Tristan Emond, a local REALTOR® w Mindful Living Realty - giving you all the Good Stuff about Living in Rapid City. I keep up with what’s going around Rapid City so you don’t gotta! 💓

08/15/2026

Sports Complex Saturday! I chatted with Domico Rodriguez with the Rapid City Sports Commission last month and talked all things upcoming Indoor Sports Complex. For the next few weeks, I'll share clips of a few of the things we discussed. Watch the full interview on my YouTube channel.

This week...So - when are we gonna get to USE the Sports Complex? When will the building hopefully start?

🚨 Get the scoop on Rapid City every other week in your inbox! The Rapid City Lowdown brings you local news, cool businesses, city meeting updates, and all the buzz around town. Comment LOWDOWN for the link.

👉 I'm Tristan Emond, a local REALTOR® w Mindful Living Realty - giving you all the Good Stuff about Living in Rapid City. I keep up with what’s going around Rapid City so you don’t gotta! 💓

08/13/2026

If you own a vacation rental in Pennington County, or you've been thinking about turning your home into an Airbnb or VRBO, there's an important update you need to know about.

The Pennington County Commission has approved an agreement with a company called Deckard Technologies to help identify and track short-term rentals throughout the county. The goal isn't to shut these properties down. It's to make sure they're operating legally and that everyone is playing by the same rules.

Here's how it works. Deckard's software scans publicly available vacation rental listings and compares them with county licensing records. It can identify where rentals are located, who owns them, whether they're properly licensed, average rental activity, occupancy trends, and even help flag properties that may be exceeding occupancy limits or operating without the required permit.

According to the county this isn't really about adding more red tape. It's about safety, neighborhood compatibility, and making sure vacation rentals meet the same standards for zoning, occupancy, and emergency information. It's also intended to create a level playing field for owners who have already gone through the licensing process.

These conversations have been going on for awhile with short term rentals. Should home owners have a huge list of regulations to do what they want with their property or are a few common sense rules and regs not a bad thing?

🚨 Get the scoop on Rapid City every other week in your inbox! The Rapid City Lowdown brings you local news, cool businesses, city meeting updates, and all the buzz around town. Comment LOWDOWN for the link.
👉 I'm Tristan Emond, a local REALTOR® w Mindful Living Realty - giving you all the Good Stuff about Living in Rapid City. I keep up with what’s going around Rapid City so you don’t gotta! 💓

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1511 West Boulevard
Rapid City, SD
57701

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+16053917086

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