Pedestrians and passersby may have noticed some changes on Seward Street in downtown Juneau. Here\u2019s a run-down of what\u2019s changed and what\u2019s to come.<\/p>\n
Alaskan Dames Consignment Shop, a clothing and furniture store, is opening a new location on Seward Street as soon as this week.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore Friday is the goal,\u201d said Madison Massey, manager at Alaskan Dames. \u201cIt happened faster than even we anticipated. We knocked out the walls, there\u2019s painting being done.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alaskan Dames, owned by Lisa Ibias, has been located in the Airport Shopping Center on Glacier Highway for about 17 years. Massey said the store recently downsized. The furniture and household items have been integrated into the clothing side of the business.<\/p>\n
In 2014, Alaskan Dames opened Lilette, an upscale consignment shop, on Dunn Street in the Mendenhall Valley.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe downtown location will be a blend between Alaskan Dames and Lilette. There\u2019ll be higher end items, new and used. There\u2019ll be men\u2019s wear as well, along with local art and boutique pieces of furniture,\u201d Massey said.<\/p>\n
The downtown shop \u2014 as yet to be named \u2014 will be open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s located on 217 Seward Street, where Urban Eskimo was housed for 11 years. Owner John Delgado moved his shop across the street earlier this month to 220 Seward Street.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about a third bigger, and it connects to a workshop\/framing studio that we always had but were disconnected from, so it just works out better,\u201d Delgado said.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow, we\u2019re going to take on framing a little more than we used to. We fix and restore old frames as well,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
The shop features Pendleton Woolen Mills men\u2019s products, accessories and blankets, along with Alaska Native art, vintage ivory, vintage baskets and Alaskana items.<\/p>\n
With a customer base that\u2019s half local, half tourist, Delgado said Seward Street offers a \u201cnice historic feel\u201d without the \u201cmob scene\u201d that occurs down the hill on South Franklin Street during cruise ship season.<\/p>\n
Next door, between Urban Eskimo and Salt, will be Salt\u2019s new private dining room, which will be able to seat up to 12 people.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be a self-sufficient room with its own music, its own server, and we\u2019ll be offering personalized tasting menus with wine pairings,\u201d said Kris Schwartz, general manager and part owner of Salt.<\/p>\n
The other owners are Rob Hynes, Tracy LaBarge and Salt chef Lionel Uddipa.<\/p>\n
Schwartz said the private dining room likely won\u2019t be ready until the fall. He\u2019s also part owner of McGivney\u2019s Downtown Sports Bar & Grill, which just had its grand opening earlier this month.<\/p>\n
Schwartz said Salt, which features Alaskan cuisine, often gets requests for a private dining space where people can\u2019t be interrupted.<\/p>\n
Schwartz said Uddipa will be able to provide chef tableside service.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe likes to come out to tables and be interactive with guests, whether it\u2019s pouring a sauce over a fish or whipping something up tableside,\u201d Schwartz said.<\/p>\n
Uddipa has been at Salt for two years. The restaurant did a tasting menu for Valentine\u2019s Day, which featured Japanese Kunamoto oysters, Alaskan weathervane scallops, roasted sunchoke soup, Maple Valley Farms duck breast, braised oxtail and chocolate mousse.<\/p>\n
Across the street on 209 Seward Street will be a new business, Zootz Alor.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to sell tobacco, tobacco accessories, glassware, novelties, gifts. We have a line of e-liquids and vaporizers. We also will be doing graphics and decals. We\u2019ll have some tourist items,\u201d said co-owner Lynne Lee.<\/p>\n
Lee said Zootz Alor will have a soft opening April 1 with a grand opening later in the month. The shop will open in the afternoon and evenings, seven days a week in the summer and between five and seven days in the winter depending on customer demand.<\/p>\n
Another change in the area includes a new clothing store at 230 Seward Street called Pretty Please Juneau. (For more information on that store, see this story<\/a> in the March 23 issue of Capital City Weekly, the Empire\u2019s sister publication.) It\u2019s in the same building where Panhandle Provisions used to be located. That space and another building storefront is available for lease or sale.<\/p>\n \u2022 Contact reporter Lisa Phu at 523-2246 or <\/span>lisa.phu@juneauempire.com<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"