USA, SD: WoodGrain Brewing Co. expanding with a second location

WoodGrain Brewing Co. is expanding east, SiouxFalls Business reported on March 10.

The Sioux Falls brewery and taproom will add a second location in the building that used to be Obscure Brewing Co. at 5200 E. Grant St., a block north of Arrowhead Parkway along Foss Avenue.

Obscure closed at the end of 2024.

For WoodGrain owner Steve Hartman, it became the chance to complete an expansion his brewery first thought about in 2019, then put on hold during the pandemic.

“I grew up on the east side and still live over there, and there’s nothing for breweries,” he said. “South and west are covered, but east is empty.”

WoodGrain plans to continue its downtown location, which opened in September 2015, while taking advantage of the increased capacity the east-side space will allow.

“We’re going to put our own spin on it,” Hartman said. “We took out all the back bar cabinetry. We’re going to repaint and put up some different decor, and we’ve got new chairs, and I’m going to build an all-new back bar, and there will be TVs, so when people want to watch the game, they can come in.”

The brewery itself will allow WoodGrain to expand production.

“We’re one of the only breweries that doesn’t have cans in the market, and it’s something I’ve wanted for a while that our space downtown doesn’t allow us to do,” Hartman said.

“Logistically, it’s very difficult. We don’t have time to brew and can’t brew enough, so this allows us to keep our staples better and do cans and get some kegs and packaged products into the market.”

He plans to offer a food menu at the east-side location and is still developing it. The thought for now is to keep pizza, add local sausage and bratwurst, appetizers and maybe tacos.

“We want to maintain the dog- and family-friendly aspect,” Hartman said, adding that the green space outside will be used for yard games, hammocks and likely some special events.

The hope is to open WoodGrain’s east-side location in late spring or early summer.

“WoodGrain is a well-established local brewery with a strong following, and this location gives Steve a great opportunity to expand into a fast-growing area of Sioux Falls,” said Bobbie Tibbetts of Bender Commercial Real Estate Services, who brokered the sale with colleague Rob Kurtenbach.

While there was interest in the building, WoodGrain was the only brewery to look at it, and the seller was glad to transition it to a similar use, she said.

“Most local breweries are concentrated downtown, so with strong residential growth and increasing demand for commercial services on the east side, this location made perfect sense for WoodGrain to establish a presence in a rapidly growing part of the city,” Tibbetts said. “With the intersection of Veterans Parkway and Arrowhead Parkway expected to become the state’s largest and most trafficked intersection in the state, it’s well positioned for success.”

12 March, 2025