Michael's and Burke's
329 S. Phillips
319 S. Phillips
222 S. Phillips
224 S. Phillips
Empire Mall
319 S. Phillips
222 S. Phillips
224 S. Phillips
Empire Mall
Michael Burke was born August 31, 1921 in Clarion, Iowa. He grew up and graduated high school in Mason City, 53 miles northeast of Clarion. After school, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1938, serving four years in the India-Burma-China theater during World War II. He returned to Mason City and began working for Buttrey’s clothing store. He also married Catherine Currier there, and they began growing their family. Michael excelled in his work at Buttrey’s, and was moved to locations in Fargo and Dickenson, ND, and Fairmont, MN before being sent to Sioux Falls in 1949 to manage the store here. Having learned the ropes of the clothing industry, he left Buttrey’s to make his own way.
Burke’s Children’s and Infants’ Wear opened at 329 S. Phillips on July 18, 1953, and quickly became Sioux Falls’ go-to shop for children’s clothing. By 1956, Burke’s needed more space to accommodate its growth, so the shop was moved north to 319 S. Phillips. In another three years, Burke’s was moved to an even larger space which had been recently vacated by Midwest-Beach at 222 S. Phillips, across from the Carpenter Hotel. Here a shoe department was added, which was managed by Don Fischer of Fischer Shoes in the Parkridge Mall. Burke’s would also sell some clothes from Don’s store.
On April 9, 1963, Burke announced the opening of a new store he’d call Michael’s, to be located in the space south of Burke’s at 224 S. Phillips. Michael’s would sell fashions for the ladies. The women’s ready-to-wear store was designed by architect Ralph Koch. The two-story brick and concrete building would have a distinctive half barrel canopy made of pre-cast concrete atop a backlit cast aluminum grill on which the store’s name was featured. The store opened on August 14, 1963, and it was a hit.
Burke’s Children’s and Infants’ Wear opened at 329 S. Phillips on July 18, 1953, and quickly became Sioux Falls’ go-to shop for children’s clothing. By 1956, Burke’s needed more space to accommodate its growth, so the shop was moved north to 319 S. Phillips. In another three years, Burke’s was moved to an even larger space which had been recently vacated by Midwest-Beach at 222 S. Phillips, across from the Carpenter Hotel. Here a shoe department was added, which was managed by Don Fischer of Fischer Shoes in the Parkridge Mall. Burke’s would also sell some clothes from Don’s store.
On April 9, 1963, Burke announced the opening of a new store he’d call Michael’s, to be located in the space south of Burke’s at 224 S. Phillips. Michael’s would sell fashions for the ladies. The women’s ready-to-wear store was designed by architect Ralph Koch. The two-story brick and concrete building would have a distinctive half barrel canopy made of pre-cast concrete atop a backlit cast aluminum grill on which the store’s name was featured. The store opened on August 14, 1963, and it was a hit.
The architect's drawing in the first image shows Michael's as it would be when built in 1963. The next image shows the same theme after an expansion three years later. Further expansion would bring it to the 1998 image seen below.
On August 3, 1965, a fire broke out in the basement. The fire was kind enough to put itself out when it damaged water lines, but there was enough water and smoke damage to close the store for over a month.
In 1968, Dottie Dunn’s Hat Shop closed up shop at 226 S. Phillips, just south of Burke’s and Michael’s. Plans were quickly made to expand into this space. The following year, after remodeling was finished, the Michael’s and Burke’s stores would have 20,000 square feet in downtown Sioux Falls, which included basement sales space in each store.
The company offered an in-store credit card, which would allow users to charge purchases with no interest for 90 days. Shoppers would receive a bill for one third of their balance per month.
In 1975, the big news in Sioux Falls retail was the opening of the Empire Plaza Mall on west 41st Street. The Burke family would start with a Michael’s and Burke’s location there before adding a women’s footwear store called Michael’s Footnote in 1976.
In 1968, Dottie Dunn’s Hat Shop closed up shop at 226 S. Phillips, just south of Burke’s and Michael’s. Plans were quickly made to expand into this space. The following year, after remodeling was finished, the Michael’s and Burke’s stores would have 20,000 square feet in downtown Sioux Falls, which included basement sales space in each store.
The company offered an in-store credit card, which would allow users to charge purchases with no interest for 90 days. Shoppers would receive a bill for one third of their balance per month.
In 1975, the big news in Sioux Falls retail was the opening of the Empire Plaza Mall on west 41st Street. The Burke family would start with a Michael’s and Burke’s location there before adding a women’s footwear store called Michael’s Footnote in 1976.
In 1977 the company opened Catherine’s, an upscale women’s clothing store in the Empire. Michael’s and Burke’s locations opened in Worthington as well. By this time, Michael and Catherine’s son, Pat, had been working with them for a while. Another son, Jim, joined the crew, and the family finally felt able to manage some more aggressive growth. Michael’s and Burke’s opened in Watertown in 1978, and in Sioux City in 1980, along with a Footnote.
The years to come showed more growth and expansion. More locations were added in Iowa, Nebraska, and Minnesota. The company was doing millions of dollars of business every year. The growth and revenue would not last into the next millennium, however.
The 1990s saw a change in the way people shopped. Whereas people in the 1980s adopted the “shop ’til you drop” mantra, shoppers in the ‘90s were more pressed for time and could be better described as value-oriented. In 1997, the Burke family hired a Minneapolis consulting firm to help bring their stores up to speed and to try to appeal to a younger consumer. The advent of online shopping didn’t help their cause. By December of 1998, Michael’s and Burke’s local and regional locations were closed. The Burkes had been unsuccessful in their effort to turn their business around in the changing market. The downtown Michael’s and Burke’s location was one of the long-time holdouts of a dwindling downtown. It stayed in its home until the end.
Michael Burke, who’d retired by the time of the closure, died in 1998, Catherine followed two years later. They left behind the memory of stores where customers always felt welcomed and like part of the family. This welcoming attitude came from the top and filtered through the sales staff to the customer. Shopping should be about more than purchasing items — something that online retailers can’t provide.
The years to come showed more growth and expansion. More locations were added in Iowa, Nebraska, and Minnesota. The company was doing millions of dollars of business every year. The growth and revenue would not last into the next millennium, however.
The 1990s saw a change in the way people shopped. Whereas people in the 1980s adopted the “shop ’til you drop” mantra, shoppers in the ‘90s were more pressed for time and could be better described as value-oriented. In 1997, the Burke family hired a Minneapolis consulting firm to help bring their stores up to speed and to try to appeal to a younger consumer. The advent of online shopping didn’t help their cause. By December of 1998, Michael’s and Burke’s local and regional locations were closed. The Burkes had been unsuccessful in their effort to turn their business around in the changing market. The downtown Michael’s and Burke’s location was one of the long-time holdouts of a dwindling downtown. It stayed in its home until the end.
Michael Burke, who’d retired by the time of the closure, died in 1998, Catherine followed two years later. They left behind the memory of stores where customers always felt welcomed and like part of the family. This welcoming attitude came from the top and filtered through the sales staff to the customer. Shopping should be about more than purchasing items — something that online retailers can’t provide.
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