I love Small Business Saturday, not because of the awesome deals that many shops offer, but because it’s like a celebration of the businesses that add a unique feel to our shopping scene. After eschewing all things Black Friday and choosing to #OptInside for a day of reading, movies, leftovers, and napping (it felt SO GOOD to hibernate), I was ready to visit a few of my favorite small businesses (I didn’t make it to all my local loves today, but future visits are on my list!) on the best shopping day of the year:
Houghton Hill – after hosting Thanksgiving, I realized I was in dire need of more serving silverware and knew just the place to find something special. I’m thrilled with the vintage sterling silver serving spoons I selected along with a rad metallic cowhide box to keep them in.
Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop – shoppers require sustenance, and Fire Island had my favorite chicken salad sandwich on the menu, along with freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.
Skinny Raven – the best running+ store out there, Skinny Raven is a great place to pick up a pair of Smartwool socks (which I did) and gloves (yep, those too!).
Kaladi Brothers – A girl needs her coffee!
Blush – California cool meets Alaska girl. Uber chic Blush is always a great place to shop, and although I didn’t leave with anything today, I know I will on a future visit.
La Bodega – Every time I walk into this shop I feel a bit like Alice in Wonderland, except instead of just one bottle labeled “drink me” I’m surrounded by hundreds… and I often give into impulse and leave with a few. However, today I was on a mission: a double walled stainless steel growler filled with Blueberry Mary Zip Kombucha.
Her Tern – if you’re not following Her Tern’s Instragram (and you love fashion) you’re missing out: every image inspires me to step up my game, and often lures me into the shop, where a carefully curated lineup of covetable clothing and footwear is hard to resist (today I resisted… next time, I probably won’t).
City Market – My favorite grocery store; there’s always something new and interesting to try. I meant to just grab a few essentials for breakfast tomorrow, but couldn’t help picking up a couple Dear North, Alaska Salmon Bites to sample.
I noticed that at many of the stores – Houghton Hill, Skinny Raven, Fire Island, and La Bodega – the owners were present, helping customers and manning the cash registers. Jess, Daniel, Janice, and Pamela, thank you for your hard work and for being so much more than just retailers; you help build and strengthen our community. Your kindness to customers, knowledge of your niches, and commitment to our city is invaluable, and I’m so thankful for each of you, and all the other small business owners like you in Anchorage.
Shop small, not just today, but every day.
Thanks Gretchen! Always nice seeing you out and about…
Daniel
Likewise! It’s inspiring to see how far you and your team have taken Skinny Raven – at this point, it’s hard to imagine running and Anchorage without you!