Brookings Community

Sarah Bertsch

Brookings Community

The Brookings Community is a large part of each student’s experience at South Dakota State University. With one-of-a-kind businesses located right in town and some of the friendliest people in the state, the Brookings community is something every student needs to check out for themselves.

 

Outdoor Adventure Center

Outdoors enthusiasts have a place in Brookings they can call their own.

The Outdoor Adventure Center of South Dakota offers SDSU students and members of the Brookings community a place to sharpen up their shooting skills, whether that is archery, rifle or handgun, and learn more about the outdoor way of life.

The building is able to accommodate 40 archery shooters at one time and also 12 firearms shooters at the same time. Shooting clubs, leagues and classes are also hosted in the facility. Other types of classes that range from photography to woodworking to snowshoeing or cross-country skiing can also be found at the OAC.

The OAC is located at 2810 22nd Ave South in Brookings and was created as a place to teach people about the outdoors and to allow outdoor enthusiasts to have a facility to use year-round.

The archery range is open to the public on Thursdays and Fridays from 5 to 9 p.m., Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The firearms range is also available at these times. Members can access the archery range daily from 5 a.m. until 11 p.m.

 

Boutiques

Brookings offers a variety of boutiques including Lou and Louise, J.Ella Boutique and Vintage Willows.

Lou and Louise is a clothing store that sells apparel, shoes and accessories. Lou and Louise opened in May 2014. The store is located at 417 Main Ave.

Another location shoppers can visit is Vintage Willows. Vintage Willows is located in Downtown Brookings at 311 3rd St.

J.Ella Boutique is located in the Old Market Galleria. The store has clothing and accessories for formal and everyday-wear. J.Ella also has a location in Sioux Falls.

In addition to boutiques there are second-hand stores where shoppers can find clothing at a reduced price. People can buy and sell at Trendz and Country Peddler.

 

Chow Now

Chow Now Delivery is a new delivery service to Brookings as of February 2015 in which restaurant-quality food can be delivered to one’s doorstep within 30 minutes to an hour.

Chow Now Delivery restaurants include Old Market Eatery, Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant, The Ram, Cottonwood Bistro, Pheasant Restaurant and Lounge, Flavor Indian Restaurant, Craft and Cubby’s Sports Bar and Grill.

Luke Davidson, CEO, and Dan Stratton, CFO founded the business; both are SDSU alumni. Davidson approached Stratton about the idea of the company in October of 2014 and from there the two developed the business through research and preparation.

Davidson thought up the idea of Chow Now Delivery when he “realized that there was a service missing.”

“I don’t know how many times me and my friends have been sitting around … and going ‘oh we want some food, but not Dominoes or whatever,’” Davidson said. “I’d heard about it before with Grub Hub … It was kind of seeing it and knowing it would be something that people would use.”

Mackenzie Gough, a sophomore early childhood education major, has used Chow Now’s services twice.

“Ordering from Chow Now is super easy and quick and it is only a five dollar delivery charge,” Gough said. “It’s really nice to stay home, not have to cook and get delicious food delivered to your door.”

To order through Chow Now, one may simply fill out a deliver form on the company’s website.

 

Nick’s Hamburger Shop

Nick’s Hamburgers has stood as a Brookings staple for just under 86 years.

The small hamburger shop, located on Main Ave, in Downtown Brookings, serves up slider style burgers and hasn’t changed their recipe since the doors opened in 1929, co-owners Todd and Tony Fergen said.

In addition to the famous burgers, which were awarded Best Burger in South Dakota in 2015 by MSN, Nick’s also serves up homemade pie.The pies vary from fruit pies to cream pies, including rhubarb pie, banana cream pie and Reese’s chocolate pie.

The shop is open Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

 

Book Stores

Sometimes, students just need a break from reading boring textbooks assigned for class and need something a little more entertaining to keep their attention.

Brookings has a number of options available to students for ‘fun’ books to balance out all the heavy chemistry or physics books.

Uncanny Comics and Brookings Book Co. both cater to the needs of any student interested in reading up on their favorite comics. Uncanny Comics, located in the University Mall, opened in December 2014. Brookings Book Co. can be found on Main Ave. in Downtown Brookings.

Brookings Book Co. and Cover to Cover, also located on Main Ave., offer a wide variety of other book options for those not interested in comics.

There is also a selection of tradebooks available at the University Bookstore on campus.

For students looking for a more economical option for fueling their reading habits, the Brookings Public Library offers free library cards to South Dakota State University students if they present their student ID.