Stacy Kenitzer, RN, BSN, and her husband, Bruce, had been talking about the need for a change. They were living in St. Louis, Missouri. Bruce’s family lived in the Rapid City area, and his aging mother was beginning to need more care. Stacy didn’t feel a strong tie to the city and was growing tired of the increased crime.

The more they thought about it, the more a move felt right. And as Bruce was back in the area visiting his mother, the right home caught his eye. Soon after, he made the move with Stacy following shortly after; waiting for her daughter to finish her senior year.

Stacy had grown up in and around the St. Louis area and began her nursing career nearly 30 years ago. Beginning her profession in a hospital setting, she had the opportunity to work with specialty pharmacies–a common business model in metropolitan areas. These boutique medical services cater to specific areas of medical practice and are often concierge services going directly to a patient’s home.

Stacy had never owned her own business before, let alone started one from the ground up. But when weighing the options available to her in the area, she wasn’t about to settle on going back to a traditional setting when her passion was in infusions.

“Before I moved, I had actually been thinking of starting an infusion lounge with my brother who is also a nurse. But when we came to Rapid City, they just weren’t really a popular thing,” said Stacy.

The idea of starting the specialty service of an infusion lounge seemed to dwindle.

“Starting a business was terrifying,” said Stacy. “Nurses don’t own businesses where I come from; they just don’t.”

But Stacy decided to take a chance and offer something new to the community. In June of 2022, Hydration Station IV Lounge opened its doors at 710 St. Joseph Street.

The Hydration Station IV Lounge is a vitamin therapy infusion lounge available for scheduled appointments and walk-ins. Through an IV drip, fluids, medications, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other supplements are delivered directly into your bloodstream. The health benefits are vast and include anti-aging, improved immune system, migraine relief, and more.

The menu at the lounge offers a variety of mixes for different “ailments” that you discuss with your nurse at the time of your initial consultation. After your vitals have been checked and you are okayed for treatment, the nurse will start your infusion and you get to relax in one of three lounge areas.

“Everyone has something different that they come in for, and we can get them a mix that is right for them to either help them get over it quickly or help them feel better right away. That’s what I’ve always loved about nursing: you’re still helping make somebody’s quality of life better.”

One year after opening its doors, Stacy can’t help but feel grateful she took a chance. And has discovered that entrepreneurship doesn’t have to be a lonely journey.

“The nursing part of the business–that’s easy,” said Stacy. “It’s the business side of things like the taxes and the financials that go along with it that has been a huge learning curve.”

But with that learning curve, Stacy credits her success to the other business owners downtown who have jumped in and guided her along the way.

Rapid City’s rural nature is a commonplace phenomenon for those who have grown up here. Connections are a dime a dozen in a small town, and when someone needs help–assistance is a phone call away. This sense of community may be taken for granted if you’ve been around the area long enough, but as a transplant arriving in Rapid City from St. Louis’s metro area–it was a pleasant surprise to Stacy.

“This whole sense of community is a new thing for me; it just doesn’t exist in St. Louis,” she said. “There have been so many people who have helped me in this entrepreneurial journey, being a support and always a source of encouragement. Being connected with other owners in downtown Rapid City has been awesome.”

Creating community, sharing knowledge, and offering support is what helps small businesses thrive in the Rapid City community. And although it may be commonplace to be surrounded by a network of connections in our rural area, it’s something that shouldn’t be taken for granted. Just ask Stacy.