Best Places to do souvenir shopping

[polsled]

I will be in Alaska In June, First I will travel by car from Anchorage to Talkeetna,Denali,Girdwood,Seward,Homer,Soldonta,and Whittier.Then by ship to Skagway,Juneau,And Ketchican. Where are the best places to purchase souvenirs Thanks:)

[TheCalicoCat]

It probably depends on what you want to buy...

 

I would not buy a heavy item at my first stop & have to lug it around for the rest of the trip...

 

I also would not want to buy a "Juneau" t-shirt/postcard/spoon/etc. in Seward.

 

With that said, I am only in the market for a generic "Alaska" shirt & sterling silver charm, so if anyone has great ideas for those items... (I'll be in Juneau, Ketchikan, & Skagway.)

 

I am inclined to shop in Juneau - bigger city with more than just tourist industry...

[silkismom]

For "generic" tshirts, try Walmart or drug stores, usually the least expensive. There are Walmarts in several cruisestop towns, just ask the crew, there is usually a free shuttle for them--also for anything you may have forgotten.

[bottom-dragger]

Where are the best places to purchase souvenirs Thanks:)

 

cheap touristy crap? i haven't a clue.

 

in ketchikan, go to the soho coho gallery. it's on the north end of the creek street strip. look for ray troll artwork and t-shirts. http://www.trollart.com/

 

 

in juneau, the william spear gallery, second floor above heritage coffee on franklin. enamel pins http://wmspear.com/

[Putterdude]

One of the largest collections of NW Native art I have ever seen is the MT. Juneau Trading Co. they do not appear to have a website. There are also a couple of galleries in Ketchikan that do likewise.

[Northern Aurora]

I am not clear if the OP is interested in purchasing inexpensive items made overseas, or is interested in Alaskan manufactured items.

 

There is a Made in Alaska (MIA) program sponsored by the Alaska Department of Economic Development and generally administered by a contractor. Manufacturers and artists apply for a permit to participate. If approved they receive a permit number and are allowed to use the MIA symbol on their products. The MIA symbol is a white mother bear with a black club snuggled against her legs. While the symbol is hard to describe, once you see it you will recognize it. There has been some fraud (a shop in Juneau was caught placing stickers on non-Alaskan manufactured items about 15 years ago), but generally this is some guarantee that the item is indeed made in-state.

 

There is a second program which was created by the Alaska State Council on the Arts which is very similar to the MIA program. This program is for folks who are Alaskan Native artists. This program allows them to place a silver hand against a black background sticker on their products.

[AKman2495]

If you want generic stuff shop Anchorage-like silkismom says, walmart is great for that stuff. As for better quality stuff, you should do some checking on like to find what you want.

 

Anchorage is the biggest city and usually has the best prices. Most, if not all of the cruise ship ports in summer are going to charge through the nose as summer is really their xmas season.

 

Anchorage has a lot of cruisers, but they also have a lot of other people so the pressure to sell and make the big bucks from the cruise ship crowd is much less there.

 

If you can , pLan on going to the Saturday market in downtown Anchorage (on saturday, of course). You can find a great mix from junk to generic to better quality stuff. All in one spot.....

[account4fun]

I know the OP didn't ask this but in case other people are interested we purchased great souveniers in Fairbanks at the Artic Travelers gift shop. We saw the same type of items later on for much more $$$. We bought a totem pole, dog sled ivory carving etc and all were made in alaska items.

[sr12345]

If you are going to be in Anchorage during a weekend, check out the open air market, near 3rd and A streets. Plenty of crafts, T-shirts, aurora and wildlife photos, etc. Popular with locals and tourists alike.

 

For generic souvenirs (T-shirts, Chinese-made ulus, boxed smoked salmon), in Anchorage you can try the Wal-Marts, Fred Meyers (a combination of a Target-like store and grocery), and all the souvenir shops in downtown Anchorage along 4th and 5th Avenues.

 

If you are looking for native crafts, such as ivory carvings and furs, I strongly suggest the Alaska Fur Exchange, at the corner of Tudor Road and Old Seward Highway in midtown Anchorage.