Best place for souveniers?

[DaisyGirl55]

We are stopping in Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan.....just wondered which of these 3 have the best stops for something to bring back to remember our trip. Not looking for t-shirts, or tanzanite jewelry, or cookie-cutter mementos made in China. Not really sure what we will be looking for actually...

 

We have cruised the Caribbean often enough to know which islands are the best to shop in. For our cruise to Alaska, we don't want to skip one port, thinking something is better in the next port - only to find out I should have done my shopping in the prior port.

 

Any suggestions?

[Mrs007]

Hi DaisyGirl. Be sure to get to Creek Street in Ketchikan - cute shop The Opal Shop/Perfect Partners. We love the tree knot masks they have. They are not like "totem" masks, more like drift wood masks. Hope this link works.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=24608&d=1152048608

 

Also, Skagway was some nice Christmas ornaments. Just be sure to steer clear of all the jewelry stores brought up from the Caribbean for the season.

 

I also like the bobble-head moose/bear/or eagle ballpoint pens - just a cheap little reminder of being in Alaska :)

 

Just be sure if you are looking at something, you turn it over to see if it says "Made in China" :eek:

[Harley3801]

For such a small town, I liked Skagway best for shopping. They had a really nice selection of everything from the typical t-shirts, hats & sweatshirts to museum quality gifts, nice jewelry (not the “cruiseline special” stuff), clothing.

I did shop a bit in Ketchikan and liked their selection as well. D

idn’t have much time to shop in Juneau but did get a beautiful Eskimo doll and went into some shops that had great jewelry but I didn't buy anything. There's a really cool shop in Juneau called William Spear Designs . . . they have great enamel zipper pulls (something you don't see much of) and pins. Very cool. The shop is over another store but they have a placcard out front. If you do an internet search for them, you can find their location.

And Mrs007’s comment about turning stuff over to make sure it isn’t made in China is a good suggestion . . . you might also peel off the price sticker . . . I bought 3 pair of lovely earrings that were designed by an Alaskan artist. When I got home and removed the price sticker, they said “Made in Canada.”:( Not that "Made in Canada" is a bad thing but I wasn't in Canada . . . . .

[midwestsolo]

What kind of souvenirs are you looking for? I didn't go to Skagway, purchased lots in Juneau and Ketchikan. I bought glacial soaps, low priced, also inexpensive items like shot glasses at the Red Dog and a couple pairs of expensive earrings in Juneau. In Ketchikan, I bought candy(it was my last Alaskan port) and the native made stuff primarily for myself. Also, crochet supplies in Ketchikan at a quilting store and Christmas ornaments. If you have any specific items you are looking for, don't hesitate to ask me. Enjoy your trip!!:)

[gambit57]

I thought Ketchikan was the best (most varied). And cheapest. For touristy stuff, Tongass has 3 shops on the street right next to the ports. Go behind them or along the side streets for more unique stuff.

 

For the touristy stuff, I thought prices got significantly higher the further north you went. Anchorage seemed the most expensive by far.

[Amcdon]

I liked the Skagway Outlet Store, 7th and Broadway. It had different t-shirts than I had seen anywhere else. Good prices too on everything ,plus I got a free train whistle with a coupon from a book we got on the ship!

[gg3]

My 2 favorite towns to shop in are Juneau and Ketchikan. For Juneau: Go to www.traveljuneau.com and click on the artist and galleries or places to shop. You will pull up some extraordinary shops, many that feature "Make in Alaska" items and lots of Alaskan artist. One of the neatest stores is "Annie Kaills" at 244 Front Street. Her web site is excellent. Also "Juneau's Imagination Store" on Franklin St. has great toys, "Alaskan Shirt Co." has Alaskan hand made puppets featuring 5 Alaskan animals, "Alaskan Soap and Candle" on S. Franklin has the Glacier Smoothie Soaps, and to top it all of the "Alaskan Fudge Company" on S. Franklin has great candy and ice cream.

Ketchikan: Creek Street has wonderful shops, many featuring local artists. Among favorites are "Blue Heron Store", and "Perfect Partners" featuring dolls. Also in Ketchikan, I buy great salmon and salmon jerky from "Salmon, etc."

One of my favorite stores in all 3 cities is "Del Sol" and although you find them all over the place, they have great T-shirts and nail polish, etc. that change colors in the sun. Not Alaskan made of course, but the teens love them. :D Hope these ideas help. gg

[mbisson]

Well, we use our Ulu knife everyday. And it reminds me of Alaska everytime I pick it up.

 

Also, an item we get on every trip to Alaska (and that I've never seen mentioned here) is a calendar. Lots (well, 12) of pictures of Alaska scenery, cheap, and another way to remember the cruise whenever I see the photos.

 

I also agree with Amcdon about the SOS. We usually make the walk down there just to see what's up! But the dog chewed up my last whistle so I better consider another trip to replace it. GOOD DOG!

 

We also visit the Tongass in Ketchikan. I normally find Tongass & SOS are great for low end items and we usually seem to buy our higher end items in Juneau. I'm not sure why, but that's usually how it ends up.

[Harley3801]

One of my favorite stores in all 3 cities is "Del Sol" and although you find them all over the place, they have great T-shirts and nail polish, etc. that change colors in the sun. Not Alaskan made of course, but the teens love them. :D

 

 

I bought my 16 & 18 year old nieces sweatshirts from Del Sol while I was in Juneau & they absolutely love them! The 16 year old put hers right on and it was about 80 degrees out!:D

[rosej]

I really appreciate all the tips on this thread. I wrote down quite a few to take with me. We leave next month!! Our first time there.

 

Early on, I mailed for free tourist magazines from Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan. Inside the magazines were some postcards, where you could check off things you were interested in. I don't remember what all I checked but a couple weeks later, I received a free coupon book in the mail. It was titled "Destination Alaska." Besides coupons, it had brief write-ups on the ports and some basic mini-maps showing the cruise ship dock, local streets and where some of the shops were.

 

The return address on the envelope it came in is:

Tongass Trading Company 907-225-5101

201 Dock Street

Ketchikan, Alaska 99901

http://www.tongasstrading.com

 

When I went to the website there were samples of various souvenirs. It was helpful to see what kinds of things were available.

[gg3]

I really appreciate all the tips on this thread. I wrote down quite a few to take with me. We leave next month!! Our first time there.

 

Early on, I mailed for free tourist magazines from Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan. Inside the magazines were some postcards, where you could check off things you were interested in. I don't remember what all I checked but a couple weeks later, I received a free coupon book in the mail. It was titled "Destination Alaska." Besides coupons, it had brief write-ups on the ports and some basic mini-maps showing the cruise ship dock, local streets and where some of the shops were.

 

The return address on the envelope it came in is:

Tongass Trading Company 907-225-5101

201 Dock Street

Ketchikan, Alaska 99901

www.tongasstrading.com

 

When I went to the website there were samples of various souvenirs. It was helpful to see what kinds of things were available.

 

The Tongass is a very large souvenier store right at the docks.....you can not miss it. It is popular with tourist because they sell all the inexpensive trinkets and items you could ever imagine. gg

[drj011105]

Just got home about a week ago ... Ketchikan seemed to be the best place for the "touristy" stuff. You know, tshirts, jackets, magnets, etc, etc. The items stayed the same in the different ports, but the prices often differed by a buck or two. Ketchikan was the cheapest I seemed to notice. My Mom bought an ulu at one of the shops (made from the ulu factory) and it was as much a $10 more elsewhere.

 

There's a really cool little shop in Ketchikan too where I bought a print from a local artist. Really neat. I can't remember what the place is called, but it in the upstairs of a building right beside where the lumberjack show is. It's right near the fabric shop. He was really nice too! That was my favorite momento of my trip.