Everyone meet Craig Miller.

As a Maintenance Ambassador at Anchorage Downtown Partnership Ltd., Craig is responsible for keeping our downtown clean and our sidewalks snow free.  You can see him almost every day sporting his orange jacket, long hair and complementary long beard shoveling sidewalks, picking up trash and operating heavy machinery in downtown.

Craig first became interested in beard competitions in 2003 when he stumbled across a picture in the newspaper about David Travers who won the World Beard and Mustache Championships.

From then on, Craig was hooked.  He vowed to compete in the next competition but soon found out it was going to be held in Europe, forcing Craig to stash his beard dreams away.

Then last year he learned that the World Beard and Mustache Championship would be in Anchorage, Alaska!

Craig entered the Alaskan Whaler category – full beard with no mustache – picture an Amish or Abe Lincoln beard.  His hopes were high for placing and thought no one stood a chance because he said he “rarely saw anyone with this type of beard.”  However, some locals from the peninsula brought their “Abe” game and stole his thunder leaving Craig with fourth place.

His hopes are still high and he will compete in the 2010 Mr. Fur Face Beard and Mustache Competition at the Fur Rondy Miners and Trappers Ball this Saturday, March 6th at 7:30pm.  Craig plans on redeeming his Alaskan Whaler Beard and hopes to bring home the gold!

Come help support Craig Miller and his Alaskan Whaler Beard tomorrow night at the Miners and Trappers Ball at 7:30pm.

GOOD LUCK CRAIG!!!!

For more info visit http://www.minersandtrappersball.org/ or call (907) 279-5650.

From now on I’m greeting people by saying, “Hi.  My name is Ruth have you been to SubZero?”  I can’t keep this great a find to myself!

Wow.  The atmosphere is sophisticated and comfortable.  It is quiet enough to have a conversation.  A great place to go after work to unwind or to meet friends for drinks, food and conversation.

The food was a real surprise.  The good kind.  My friend and I went down the menu and over and over found ourselves thinking it all looked good.

It was tough decision but we decided on the chicken wrap and the Kobe beef sliders.  Yum.  The sliders were everything a slider should be and then some.  With mushrooms and grilled onions the beef was flavorful and perfectly cooked.

The chicken wrap came with the grilled chicken and red peppers, slaw, lettuce and tortillas separate so you could build your own. The chicken had a good kick to it and came on skewers freshly grilled.  Wow.

The menu offers fresh made soups and salads (a half page of each so there is some selection).  Then we got to the desserts.

After splitting our food we were both full but the dessert menu has a wonderful selection so we just had to try something.

We ended up ordering the double chocolate cake with raspberry whipped cream.  This was a life changing choice.

Expecting a thin slice of cake like so many restaurants serve we were amazed to get a slab of cake that could have fed a family of five.  (Maybe a slight exaggeration, but it was huge.)

I could only manage a few bites of the cake but it was amazing!  I talked about it so much at work the next day they demanded I go back and get a piece so they could all try it.

They agreed I wasn’t exaggerating on the taste or the size.

The food is amazing and I have to say the blueberry mohito I tried was probably the best mohito I’ve had in town.  This place has a full bar and the bartender knows what she is doing.

Let me add this up for you.  A great bar, fantastic food and a comfortable, sophisticated atmosphere.

SubZero is on F Street between 6th and 7th, around the corner from Humpy’s.  They are open from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.

SubZero was remodeled last year and has been upgrading the menu.  I’d say the changes have created a great downtown night spot.

Don’t take my word for it.  This is the kind of greatness you really need to taste for yourself.

When Star Wars came out I was drawn to the magic of this different world and time.  I didn’t want to miss out on a chance to see the magic up close!

You can create your own hover craft with Legos and learn how this science is used in modern rail systems around the world.

You can make a robot work and learn how C-3P0 and R2-D2 compare to robots today.

I’m not usually too big on science but the museum does a wonderful job of putting magic and fun into science in this exhibit.

Even if you ignore all the learning opportunities there is still a lot to see.  Maybe it’s the kid in me, but seeing the costumes up close was magical too.

I got to see Yoda! I know how they made the sound of Darth Vader breathing.  How cool is that?!

You can even ride on the Millennium Falcon.   The ride itself was fun, but it was more fun watching the people I was with taking pictures and hamming it up in the cockpit.

This exhibit offers something for everyone.  I went with a group of adults and we all had to play with a light saber in the gift shop and stare in awe at Chewbacca.

Even if you pretend you are just going for the education you don’t want to miss this exhibit!  Make time to visit Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination at the Anchorage Museum.

Get in touch with your imagination and maybe you will even feel the force!

Think about Crush for lunch.  Crush Wine Bistro and Cellar is located across the street from Nordstroms at 6th and D.

Crush is about wine so I don’t always think of it for lunch during the work week.   I revisited Crush this week and found the menu has evolved over time and I think they have really found the right mix.

Sitting at the bar with a few co-workers turned out to be a nice chance to chat with other patrons and owner Robert de Lucia.  This was kick off day for the Downtown Dining Challenge so we got our cards and sticker and triggered everyone else at the counter to ask about it.  (See the events page to get details.)

Then we talked food.  The polenta was a crowd favorite.  One woman at the counter admitted to having a hard time picking anything else once she tried the polenta.

My co-worker declared the polenta her new favorite dish of all downtown!  I got herb grilled chicken and was too focused on the juicy delicious meat to offer a taste to anyone while my co-workers were sharing bites of their delicious entrees.

For me the surprise of the day was the potato salad.  The seafood chowder sounded marvelous and was according to those who tried it, but I can’t have dairy and so I opted for potato salad.

I got a plate of the most beautiful combination of flavors to ever be called potato salad.  This I had to share and there was plenty to go around.  We all agreed it was an amazing potato salad.

A restaurant that provides food worth talking about and returning to try again AND serves memorable wine.  Now that is worth a visit.

More good news the Crush Cellar has been in the works for a while now and it looks like this new wine store will finally be opening in March!  Soon you will be able to buy the wine you discover you love just upstairs from the restaurant you love.

To look over the menu, which is as good as it sounds, or to find out more about becoming a wine club member visit www.crushak.com.

How about we take a look at a small retail store like Forbidden Shoes?  If Forbidden Shoes sets up a Facebook account and starts adding their personal friends, family or whoever they can find on Facebook, most likely Forbidden Shoes is not hitting their target audience.

Now if Forbidden Shoes decides to collect information from their customers, like their name, (which is all you need to search for someone on Facebook) and sends them a friend request and that person accepts it, Forbidden Shoes is now connecting to their target audience.

So now half the battle is over.  Forbidden Shoes is connected to their audience and the people that shop at their store.  Now comes the creative part.  Once Forbidden Shoes connects to their audience, they have to keep their attention, engage them and keep in contact with them.  Otherwise, people forget who their friends are and will never visit the profile of Forbidden Shoes!

Perhaps one way of keeping their attention is making an event at the store exclusively for the Facebook friends of Forbidden Shoes.  Maybe they receive 10% off if they mention that they are a Facebook friend or fan of Forbidden Shoes.  Maybe Forbidden Shoes has a monthly special that only people on Facebook can find out about.  Or maybe the store creates an event on Facebook like a pre-sale preview party for exclusive Facebook friends.  Customers get to come in after hours and get a sneak peek at the sale and receive an extra discount.

This is an opportunity for customers to feel the benefit of being a Facebook friend of Forbidden Shoes and gives Forbidden Shoes the chance to get to know their Facebook followers and maybe pick their brain about what they like, don’t like and how they use Facebook.

If you engage your audience, spark their interest, make it worthwhile for them to visit your profile often and then are able to make a sale out of it, you are using social media successfully.  There are endless possibilities and creative ways to connect to people with social media.  The key to social media is connecting to the right people and finding a reason for people to visit your profile.  This is what will determine the effectiveness of your social media.

Now go get Facebooking!

Rondy starts February 26th and runs through March 7th.

This year’s events include the newly popular running of the reindeer and the old familiar snow sculptures and dog races.

From the Fur Rondy Melodrama to the Snowshoe Softball games there is something for everyone.

Rondy pins and other Rondy items for 2010 are available now at the Alaska Mint on 4th Avenue (between D and E Streets).  You don’t want to be caught without your Rondy pin!

The schedule of events is available at Alaska Mint or the Rondy web site www.furrondy.net.

Artique, Ltd. on G Street (between 3rd & 4th) is selling 75th Anniversary Commemorative limited edition prints.  These beautiful prints by Byron Birdsall feature Rondy legend and musher, George Attla.

You can find more information on the Birdsall commemorative prints at www.artiqueltd.com.

Liven up your winter with some Fur Rondy fun!  Join in the 75th Celebration of Anchorage Fur Rendezvous.

You have 10 days and a load of activities to choose from so there is no excuse to miss Fur Rondy this year!

Take a page out of the Snow City book and see what kind of neighborly promotions you can cook up for your business.

As a new member to Anchorage Downtown Partnership, I will be writing a weekly blog about cheap, free and easy marketing ideas for businesses.  This week I’m going to talk about social media and how to properly use Twitter to help your business.

It seems like everywhere you turn people are talking about Twitter and Tweeting!  Sometimes I get the feeling it’s been ingrained into people’s head that their business NEEDS to use Twitter that people forget how to effectively use it for a business.

When Twitter was created, it was a take off of something that Facebook used as one of their features called “Status Update”. Basically, it is a sentence or two (140 characters) about whatever you are doing, what you are thinking or something you find interesting.  It’s a quick way to keep an update on your friends and celebrities. Through the evolution of Twitter, businesses realized that they could make an account and give information about their business and so on.  The problem now is businesses have a hard time trying to track the effectiveness of Twitter.  I’m going to show you an example of how a business could measure the effectiveness of their Twitter account.

Lets take a food business like Dave’s Donuts.  Dave decides to make a Twitter account and he Tweets each day about the store or maybe about the daily donut special.  But if Dave has no followers or if his followers are people in Texas, his social media is not being used effectively.  Dave needs a way to find his target audience and once he does that he needs to find a reason for people to follow his Tweets.

Now lets say that Dave decides to somehow collect his customer’s information like their Twitter account name.  Maybe he does a weekly drawing for a dozen donuts and for people to win, they have to put their Twitter account name as their contact info.  Then, each week the winners are announced on Twitter when Dave Tweets their name.

Dave is now effectively communicating to HIS audience and he is using Twitter as a marketing tool to get people to check his Tweets.   He also has his customers Twitter user name so he can follow them and most likely, they will add Dave and follow him.  Dave is now using social media effectively and hopefully this tool will transition into new business opportunities for him like new followers, more customers checking Tweets from Dave’s Donuts and possibly more traffic into his store which equals more $$$$$$!

The key to Twitter and all social media is:

1.  Finding your target audience

2.  Keeping their attention – make them want to check your Tweets!

3.  Being able to measure the effectiveness of your Tweets

P.S.  Did I mention that Twitter is FREE????

Here’s a link to more FAQ’s about Twitter http://help.twitter.com/forums/10711/entries/13920

For more questions or comments email me at: ebolling@anchoragedowntown.org

Happy Tweeting!

I’m not talking classy where you wished you had worn a better pair of shoes.  I’m talking comfortable, friendly, want to hang around and chat kind of class, but you can buy liquor there.  How great is that?!

Owner, Terri Potter, wanted to have a place where people could find unique wines and beers.  She is a big supporter of downtown and excited to be located right by Town Square on 6th Avenue next to 6th Avenue Outfitters.

When I asked Terri about her reason for wanting to own a liquor store her first response was a desire to provide customer service.  Grape Expectations is the place you want to go if you are looking for something out of the ordinary.

If you remember a wonderful hard cider you had at some stop you made out of state she will research what you are talking about and special order what you want.

I noticed right away that she carries my favorite Belgium beer.  I’m one of those people who like wine, but don’t really know anything about wine.  Terri asked a few questions and made some suggestions.

I came away with an organic Zinfandel.  I look forward to “researching” her suggestion.  This is a tough job, but someone has to check these things out for you!

The selection of wines and beers is worth checking out.  There is also hard liquor available and a fun selection of sparkling wines and hard cider.

I enjoyed just chatting with Terri, who really does know about customer service.  You can bring your bike into the store and she is dog friendly.

If you enjoy wine and/or beer you will want to check out the selections.  If you enjoy chatting with a life long Alaskan stop by just to meet Terri.  This place is worth a visit.

When you live in Alaska you dream about things like boots and warm, dry feet.  When I saw that Skinny Raven carried Bogs I tripped over my old clunky boots scrambling to get there right away!

The great thing about my boots is they look cool too so people stop and ask me about them and I can tell them all about my new boots!  Life is good.

Skinny Raven Sports on H and 8th has always been known for good footwear.   They specialize in running shoes and have a large assortment of comfortable shoes for everyday.

Even people who have never been to Skinny Raven (and don’t let that be you!) seem to have heard that they are THE place to go for shoes.

If you are looking for well made, comfortable shoes or boots in any style Skinny Raven is the place for you.  If you are looking for 5 inch pumps then I suggest buying the Bogs so you can get to the place you want to walk in those heels.

Every New Year’s Eve we have a big event in Town Square and I end up standing outside for hours in the freezing cold.  I have tried a variety of boots and socks and boot/sock combinations and have never achieved warmth until this year!

My bogs are warm (good from somewhere between minus 20 and minus 40). They are water proof.  They are easy to put on and off. They are knee high so I don’t have to worry about snow piling up inside and they are oh so very cute!

Once again Skinny Raven has given me the perfect footwear for the occasion.

Skinny Raven also carries a line of Dansko clogs painted by Alaskan artist Romney Dodd.  Romney creates designs specifically for Skinny Raven so you can’t get them anywhere else.

What store has shoes designed for them?!  Pretty cool.

In a small space they manage to have every really comfortable shoe made.  From the standard clog to super cute Mary Jane’s you can find it at Skinny Raven Sports.

They have shoes for men too, but I get too distracted by all the great women’s shoes to really pay much attention to that.  They also carry great clothes, especially for runners, but again…distracted by the shoes.

Visit Skinny Raven to be amazed by the wide selection of shoes for men and women and check out all the great clothes.  On the corner of H and 8th or visit www.skinnyraven.com to check out the shoes online.