Jodi Schwan

jschwan@sfbusinessjournal.com

A $15 million entertainment complex anchored by a massive pawn shop plans to open on Thanksgiving Day next year across Russell Street from the Denny Sanford Premier Center and Sioux Falls Convention Center.

Badlands Pawn, Gold & Jewelry is the brainchild of owner Chuck Brennan, the founder of Dollar Loan Center and a self-described serial entrepreneur.

Brennan likens the concept to the "Disneyland or Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory of pawn shops." At almost 50,000 square feet, Badlands Pawn's Sioux Falls location is planned as a concept that can scale to other markets nationwide.

"This is going to be a complete movement in the pawn industry," Brennan said. "But this is the flagship. It's a total tourist destination."

Update: City excited about venture by events center

Brennan, who has worked in alternative financial services for 16 years, has stayed attuned to the pawn industry and said it's "lacking a certain amount of flair," even as recent reality shows such as Pawn Stars have put more of a focus on it.

"When I was young and growing up in Sioux Falls, my friends and I would go to different pawn shops every weekend and look at the different treasures there and check out the cool guitars and instruments," he said.

"Somewhere it got to the point where it started to become a financial transaction and the showroom started losing its fun and people were just pawning stuff because they needed money, and they weren't going for the pawnshop experience."

In creating what he's calling the Midwest's largest pawn shop, Brennan says he hopes to recreate the feel of a treasure hunt, with especially large jewelry and electronics departments. But there's a lot more to the concept. Badlands is planning to include:

■A foundry, where visitors can watch gold and silver melted into collectable coins and bars and be photographed with $1 million in gold.

■A live FM rock radio station, Badlands House Band and full-size concert stage including 400 guitars flying through the air on a custom rig. Heavy metal vocalist and guitarist Ron Keel is moving to Sioux Falls to lead the band, help spearhead the project and act as a DJ on the radio station.

■An indoor shooting range and large gun shop.

■A tattoo shop providing free tattoos of the Badlands logo.

■A deli and large merchandise shop.

■Television shows, planned to be shot on site, that are based around Badlands Pawn.

Badlands will be built at 1600 and 1608 W. Russell St. on property that includes a vacant former bank and the office of Hoy Trial Lawyers, which is relocating to another of Brennan's properties in the Pettigrew Heights neighborhood.

Brennan plans to keep the two buildings as he builds Badlands around them.

The feel of the place will be a cross between Deadwood, Sturgis and rock music, he said.

"We want to create an experience when you walk through the door and have something for everybody," he said.

Design is still in preliminary stages but could include the look of aged steel and old wood to create something that feels contemporary but rustic, architect Lanny Auringer said.

"It's going to be a challenge, no question about it, but it will certainly be unique and hopefully designed in a way that anybody who drives by goes, 'I wonder what's in there' and your curiosity takes you in there and the rest is history," he said.

Auringer, of Innovative Design &Management Services, also designed Brennan's Loop Center redevelopment in Pettigrew Heights, which includes the building that became the Brennan Rock & Roll Academy.

Badlands Pawn is "unlike anything we've ever heard of," he said.

It's a unique concept for Raquel Blount of Lloyd Cos., too. She represented Brennan on his property deal and will be involved in piecing the project together with other potential tenants.

"I think it's creative and fun and going to be something that can play to anybody, really, especially people who are interested in music and the entertainment component," she said. "That's kind of a trend in the retail industry in general. People like to see it, touch it, be entertained."

Brennan's previous projects have shown he will deliver a quality product, Blount said.

"I think it's a great opportunity for the city, because he's once again stepped up in taking a blighted area and putting a lot of redevelopment dollars and new development in," she said. "It just kind of raises the bar in the area."

The project is located in what the city has dubbed its sports and entertainment district, playing off the new events center and nearby Sanford Sports Complex.

While Brennan looked at other properties, he said he liked the idea of trying to further the city's vision for the area.

"We're big proponents of the whole vibe the city is trying to create out there. To keep it real, it hasn't gone that well," he said. "I'm a big fan of the city, and I give a lot back to the city and I knew this was going to create a buzz and attract other businesses."

Badlands Pawn will go a long way toward encouraging other businesses to invest in the area, said Darrin Smith, the city's director of community development and public parking.

"I think what Chuck is going to do with that fits perfectly," he said. "It's definitely entertainment."

The city has worked closely with Brennan as he's planned the redevelopment, Smith said.

"You're basically taking what was the city's first industrial park and the goal is to transform it ... so it presents some challenges. I was willing to sign up and help in every way," Smith said. "If it were other people trying this in that area, I might have encouraged them to do it somewhere else, but he's got a track record and is investing a lot."

Other businesses have considered redeveloping nearby properties but wanted to wait until Russell Street was expanded, Smith said. Badlands Pawn, which could draw up to 500 visitors daily, should help further the interest in the area, he added.

"Chuck's is huge because it's $15 million and it's real and it's going to happen. You just can't understate the comfort level that will give others."

Brennan plans to start initial site work soon and have a team start hiring in February. He expect to hire up to 100 full and part-time workers and is committed to opening at 9 a.m. Nov. 26.

"It's an aggressive timeline, but we have been working on this a long time and kind of have everything laid out to where it needs to go," he said. "We're confident we're going to be done in time."