Shopping Downtown for the Holidays
| December 4, 2009 | Written by: Ruth |
There are so many fun shops and interesting things to do Downtown that I have enjoyed getting my Christmas shopping done on my lunch hour without having to leave downtown.
I made the mistake of starting at Northwind Kites in the 5th Avenue Mall for the kids on my list. I had too much fun! Then I didn’t want to buy anything but toys.
The great thing about Northwind Kites was finding all kinds of gifts for different ages in different price ranges. I was able to get a LOT for my money by picking a variety of fun small items. The staff are always helpful too. They helped pick appropriate boy colors and made great suggestions for different age ranges.
Two Fish Gallery was another place I got myself in trouble. I love the jewelry there and it is reasonably priced so I ended up buying several things for me. Oops. That wasn’t on the list.
Located on B Street between 5th & 6th (next door to Allure) this little house is a great place to find great prices on great jewelry. Seriously. Great.
Then I ran into someone wearing adorable jade jewelry and she bought it at Stewart’s Photo. How fun is that?! You can get extra memory for your camera so you don’t miss a picture on Christmas morning and pick up great jewelry for someone on your list. Stewart’s is on 4th Ave. between E and F Streets.
Kobuk Coffee Company at 5th & E is another can’t miss stop. This is one of my favorite stocking stuffer stops, but I usually end up with a few treats for me too. I also like this spot for that fun and quirky gift. They have a selection of space themed Christmas tree ornaments this year that are fun and funny.
Ornaments, fun old fashioned candy, good teas and coffees…Kobuk has it all.
Cabin Fever at 4th and G is my go to spot for hard to shop for gift ideas. With such a variety of items from t-shirts to Alaskan themed tree ornaments I can usually find something in my price range that is just right. The variety and quality is what makes this a great place to finish off my Christmas list.
I also like to wander up and down G Street and look through all the great shops. Fiddlehead Gallery is my new favorite, but I always seem to buy something for me as well as the people I’m shopping for so I have to be careful about going in there. Ditto with Sevigny Studio.
Suzi’s Woollies has great sweaters and scarves…what a variety of scarves. She also has some wonderful teas and jewelry. Plus Suzi is just fun.
Artique has such nice quality art and is a great place to get well known Alaskan artists like Barbara Lavalle and Byron Birdsall. Artique has some great unique items such as the limited edition 50th Anniversary picture signed by all the governors.
Don’t forget about gift ideas like a museum membership or a punch card to Cyrano’s. I went to see Bark, the musical, last night at Cyrano’s and it was great! I may have to go see it again!
Downtown has so many unique and fun places to shop! There are so many good restaurants too. A gift certificate to dine is always nice.
Anchorage is lucky to have a great downtown. Don’t forget to enjoy it this holiday season…and get your shopping done at the same time.
