Good Craft Stores on Alaska Mainland? (Anchorage, Fairbanks: budget, travel, income)

[murlough23]

My wife likes to shop for souvenirs, and also likes to make crafts on her own with materials she finds in local shops when traveling. Does anyone know of some good craft stores in Alaska that would sell things made by true locals, instead of the "Made in Japan" variety touristy stuff? Keep in mind we'll be driving around on the mainland, so think Anchorage/Fairbanks/Seward, those types of areas. Nothing in the Panhandle or the Bush.

[Rance]

I think Black Elk Leather and Beads in Anchorage has craft materials you might be looking for.

[mal_flisk]

Yep. Store on Old Seward near Dimond, on the west side of the street.

[Blueberry]

Black Elk is an excellent place to find materials (not fabric) for crafting purposes. LOTS of beads, leathers, furs, etc. The sales people are very friendly and knowledgeable.

As for crafts made by locals, I've always been told the best place to find native crafts at the best prices is at the gift shop in the Alaska Native Medical Center which is located on the east end of Tudor Road; on the way to Muldoon Road, it will be on the left.

The Alaska Fur Exchange on the corner of Tudor and Old Seward usually has some good native crafts. My in-laws found an absolutely awesome piece of carved jade for an incredible price there.

The Saturday Market gets all kinds of local crafts; I know several native ladies that travel to Anchorage to take part in this and they have really good stuff. Items vary from week to week depending upon who's there. It's only held on Saturday, and used to be at 3rd Avenue & C Street. I'm not sure that's still the location, so maybe one of the locals can chime in on this.

I know Alaska natives who are selling their things through the Alaska Native Heritage Center. I think this is located on Muldoon Road, but I'm not sure.

When I'm in town, I like to browse the Downtown Co-op which is located in the 5th Avenue Mall, lower level, by Penney's. Some of the crafts are locally made, and some are of the mass-produced variety, but still good quality and reminiscent of Alaska.

Another co-op I really like is on Old Seward, south of Dimond Blvd. As you travel away from Dimond, it's located on the right side of the road in a pink strip mall.

So far, all the places I've mentioned are in Anchorage.

Santa Claus House in North Pole (outside Fairbanks) has some native and local crafts. The gift shop next to the big restaurant in Glenallen sometimes has nice crafts. There's good native crafts scattered throughout the state.

Many things that look native are really cheap knock-offs. Take your time, look around, and be willing to walk away and hope you find something better. You'll find lots of crafts that look alike, but only one that is truly excellent and worth the money you'll be spending.

One of the things you may want to look for when shopping for crafts is the "Made in Alaska" logo. The logo has a polar bear on it and is a sticker that will usually be found on a tag attached to the item; artists have to meet certain criteria to be eligible to display this logo. Most native crafts (ivory, jade, wood, baleen) with which I'm familiar are signed by the artist and include his/her location.

Happy shopping! Hope you have a fat checkbook!!!

[murlough23]

Originally Posted by Blueberry

Happy shopping! Hope you have a fat checkbook!!!

We don't, but my wife is generally looking for small trinkets to send to friends/relkatives and stuff to put in her scrapbook (and stuff to make scrapbooks with), so that doesn't tend to be too expensive unless you just buy large quantities of items. It has more to do with memories than how fancy something looks, so she can shop on a budget.

Thanks to everyone for all of the shops you named. I'll send this list to my wife.

[rotorhead]

I'll second the recommendation of the Alasks Native Medical Centers gift shop for genuine native artwork. My wife worked for ANMC when we lived there and I frequently wished we had more disposable income when I went window shopping there. Their semi-permanent collection is impressive, and well displayed in numerous places throughout the hospital.

Strange to think that a hospital gift shop would be the place to go, but it makes sense when you think of it. They treat patients from all over the state, and when they're in Anchorage they might as well do some buying and selling as long as they're there anyway. They buy directly from the artists, and despite some grumbling about the commission rate nobody's forcing them to sell to ANMC. Amazingly enough the cafeteria food is pretty good too, if not exactly inexpensive. It gets very crowded around lunchtime, but the breakfasts are not bad.

If you're looking for Alaskan gold/quartz or jade, there's a ton of shops downtown. Try the art gallery near Orso restaurant for some amazing glass work (good food and local beers too!).

[Blueberry]

If your wife is looking mainly for scrapbooking items, she might have better luck at home. It seems like it's easier to find "Alaska" stuff outside the state rather than in it. However, the co-ops I mentioned might have some things she can use; I know I've seen some scrapbooking items at the co-op in the 5th Avenue Mall. Also, ask the hosts at the B&Bs where you'll be staying. They can probably direct you to scrapbooking shops or at least look some up in the phone book.

If she's looking for some Alaska paper, logos, stickers, or die-cuts, she might want to try the souvenir area at Fred Meyers. You should see at least a couple of these stores on your travels. I know I've seen souvenir scrapbooking packages there. Another place I've seen similar packages is at a shop called Remember Alaska. There's one on the 3rd floor of the 5th Avenue Mall, near the sky bridge to the parking garage. There's another at Dimond Mall in south Anchorage. I think there are more scattered around; you'll usually find this shop in the larger malls.