A year ago, small business owners in the Mendenhall Valley, under the lead of Courtney McNaughton of Red Onion Spice and Tea Company and Kari Reyes of Freya, began their own version of one of Juneau’s prized traditions: a Final Friday to answer downtown’s First.
The events vary. There are the artist openings, music and finger foods Juneau is used to at First Friday, as well as business opening, closing and reopening parties. Last month’s Final Friday saw the premiere of Regalia Arts and Beads Company and this will be Freya’s first in its new location. There are pop-up boutiques and even classes. Last month, the Northern Tea House led an Art of Tea Leaf Reading class.
Which businesses are involved varies also from month to month. A map on the Juneau Final Friday facebook page lists 17 business, mainly located between the Airport Mini Mall at 9310 Glacier Highway and Dunn Street.
This Friday, four businesses will hold events. Freya, at the Airport Mini Mall, will host a Scentsy pop-up boutique as well as debuting new lingerie. Reyes will also have more Kixies, a kind of no-slip thigh-high stockings, a popular item for Halloween costumes back in stock.
Two doors down, Regalia Arts and Beads Company will hold an artist demonstration by Victoria Johnson of Raven Creations. Johnson will be demonstrating her no-sew regalia kit for kids at 6 p.m.
In between them at Sequence Boardshop, there will be storewide sales and music by DJ Cuco.
Lilette, at 1997 Dunn Street Suite 3, will hold a pop-up boutique of downtown’s Pretty Please.
All these stores, as wells as the Northern Tea House and Cassandra’s Closet, will be open until 7 p.m. that evening.
Reyes credits Final Friday as McNaughton’s “brainchild” and said “I just kind of grabbed the horns and went with it” with regards to getting the event organized and seeking out advertising.
She hopes Final Friday will spread and get the word out about the Valley’s many thriving small businesses.
“We have so many new businesses here. We’re full,” Reyes said of the Airport Mini Mall. A videogame store, Game On, has taken the last spot in the mall and will open on Nov. 7.
“We would love to get like some of the food businesses like … Mi Casa on it,” said Reyes, “say ‘park here have a drink and some dinner and then walk the path.’ So that it’s a whole thing. It’s a date night. It’s a thing where you can go out with your girlfriends or a bunch of couples.”
In the meantime, they’ll keep working at it.
“It took a long time for First Friday to catch on, too,” she said.
• Contact CCW reporter Randi Spray at randi.spray@capweek.com.
