The Alliance broadens services with salon, tattoo studio, new programming

Two businesses have moved under the roof of the South Dakota Heritage Military Alliance — The Alliance for short — while the nonprofit itself is reaching out with new programs.

It’s part of an overall broadening of services at The Alliance, 1600 W. Russell St.

For instance, this spring the Right to Bear Association conducted a workshop on church safety. Right to Bear, headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina, says on its website that it offers first-class self-defense protection, training and education to families, businesses and houses of worship.

The company has worked with The Alliance for several years, said Alliance executive director Brian Phelps. It provides legal assistance for those who are targeted in shooting situations.

“They work with churches doing training workshops on how to properly provide security for their parishioners,” Phelps said. “I was talking with their area representative, and I said, yeah, let’s bring that to Sioux Falls as well. It’s an introduction to church security. They won’t talk about your church specifically.”

No church leader wants to think their house of worship could be involved in a shooting situation, Phelps said, but being prepared is the best thing they can do.

Offering help like that is The Alliance’s mission, he said. The Alliance opened just over five years ago as a one-stop resource center to serve veterans’ needs. It also is open to the public, with offerings such as an indoor gun range, a family center with a dance hall, an events center, a bar and grill, a full kitchen that offers catering, 17 meeting rooms and a gift shop.

It also serves as the “landlord” for various offices and agencies, including veterans groups and other community entities. Tenants range from Cornerstone Rescue Mission to the American Postal Workers Union, Vietnam Veterans of America, Midwest Honor Flight, Women of the Armed Forces, Legion of Honor El Riad Shrine, Warriors Never Give Up, Keystone Treatment Center and an insurance company.

“We have roughly 33 different offices available at The Alliance,” Phelps said. “We are completely full, and that’s kind of amazing in today’s economy and the number of services available. It’s always been our intention to provide necessary services to the military and community.”

The Alliance moved into a building once occupied by a mega-pawn shop known as Black Hills Pawn. At one time, it offered a tattoo parlor and a barber shop, so reintroducing those services has always been at the back of his mind, Phelps said.

Jen Jackson, a stylist since 2009, now offers military haircuts and more at her salon, Howdy Honey.

Jackson’s experience includes five years of providing military haircuts in the PX at Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City and hairstyles for women. She moved to Sioux Falls a year ago. Johnson gave birth to a son, Luka, in April and opened Howdy Honey on April 28 after renovating the space.

“I specialize in military men’s haircuts and stuff like that, and since they are very military-oriented, I thought it would go hand in hand with my background,” Johnson said.

The daughter of a serviceman, Johnson enjoys the conversations she has with her clients about their service.

“It just seems like they’ve given so much out of their family’s and their lives to be a soldier, and just making sure they look good and feel good is the least I can do for everything they’ve done for our country,” she said. “It’s nice to hear where they’ve come from, what they’ve done and what they’ve seen. And it’s not just the soldier that goes the rough of it, it’s the whole family.”

Johnson offers a full range of beauty services, including coloring, permanents and hair extensions. Her past experience includes massage therapy, manicures, pedicures and permanent makeup.

Soul Fire Studio also has opened, offering tattoo services from owner Natalie Fawcett.

The studios are natural fits in The Alliance, Phelps said.

“I know one guy who wants a tattoo that was of his dad’s heartbeat before he passed away,” he said. “We’re helping people with their lives. Everybody is facing something. We just try to do what we can do for them here.”

The Alliance’s work has been featured nationally at an American Legion convention. Phelps recently sat in on a board meeting with a group in Arizona that soon will see renderings for a similar facility. An email from an American Legion post in Florida wants more information, and several other groups have reached out to The Alliance for guidance.

According to The Alliance’s annual report for 2024, which was released in January, it welcomed 103,598 guests and hosted 1,303 meetings and events. That is a 10 percent increase over the previous year.

Revenue from office space and facilities rental, the gun range, the event center and donations all showed increases, with the grill and Club Lobo showing a decline in revenue.

“The South Dakota Military Heritage Alliance stands as a beacon of hope and connection, dedicated to bridging the gap that can often leave feelings of isolation, being alone and unheard,” Phelps wrote in the annual report. “We understand the unique struggles faced by these individuals and their families, and we are committed to creating an empathetic community where stories can be shared and camaraderie can flourish.”