COLOME, S.D (KELO) — Take a stroll on Colome’s Main Street and you’ll pass by the Sign Inn.
Gregory natives and siblings Katie Vissia and Nick Papousek are managing the business.
The Sign Inn features four bedrooms.
“We have all updated bedding and beds in each room,” Vissia said.
It also has a kitchen so guests can cook a meal if they want to.
“Lots of hunters, we have a lot of hunting outfits that reserve this so they have a place to say and the provide the hunts during hunting season. We have people come for funerals, so they have big family gatherings,” Vissia said.
The owner of the Yellow Lab next door says his business sees an impact from Sign Inn.
“It’s a great place for people to stay, and then they swing over here and have an adult beverage and a meal for lunch or supper,” Yellow Lab owner Buck Jedlicki said.
But what makes the Sign Inn unique is its style.
“It is a museum. Everywhere you look around, nearly all the items are vintage,” Vissia said.
The man behind the eclectic inn: Katie and Nick’s late father, Richard Papousek.
“He was a contractor and an upcycler before upcycling was cool and he decided this was a good community place,” Vissia said.
Richard’s children say he bought the building for a dollar in 2001.
“I think to quote our dad he took it on because no one in town was going to fix the building,” Vissia said.
Richard operated it as an inn, putting his own personal touch on the place.
From old signs to black and white photos, stepping into the Sign Inn will take you back in time.
“The majority of the pictures and signs that are in here are things that he has found, old sheds and farm houses,” Vissia said.
Richard, who had cancer, died in October of 2024.
After their father’s death, Katie and Nick worked together to refresh the Sign Inn while maintaining its charm.
“I’ve put all new HVAC in it. I’ve hauled trash out of here. I’ve tried updating chairs, so people can sit down and are comfortable, new couches, new TVs, trying to keep dad’s aspect of the old stuff, but you’ve still have to have the new age stuff for people to be comfortable,” Papousek said.
Nick has even inherited some of his father’s upcycling ways.
“I’ve done some crazy stuff like my dad, like the fridge is from Subway. I purchased that for $300,” Papousek said.
Together the brother and sister are continuing their father’s legacy.
“My dad’s whole reason for this building was so my sister and I could make a business out of it. Even though he’s gone, he could still support us, and he was always a very supportive person when it came to us,” Papousek said.
“I think that was the ultimate motivation was carrying on my dad’s legacy of this being a community hub,” Vissia said.
Katie and Nick don’t live in Colome, but they have a family member in nearby Gregory who helps manage the Sign Inn.
