Even though Alaska is the second youngest state in the nation, it doesn’t mean it’s not steeped in history. Many early settlers crafted their own furnishings and other household items, making a hunt through an Alaska antique store quite the treat. Plenty of treasures can be found throughout the Last Frontier. Here are 8 of the best places in the state to find antiques and other collectables
This Ketchikan favorite contains quality items dating back to the city’s lively history as a raucous frontier timber and fishing town. Be sure to schedule lots of time for a visit because you can get lost for hours perusing the treasures here. You’ll find everything from home furnishings and décor to jewelry.
Urban Eskimo’s beginnings as a retailer of Pendleton blankets is immediately evident upon walking in their front door. You’ll still find these colorful, well-made blankets here as well as other Pendleton items, but you’ll also find treasures such as Native Alaskan carvings and ulu knives.
Find remnants of the frontier heritage of Fairbanks and vicinity at Blue Door Antiques. Those lucky enough to live in Fairbanks visit often because the merchandise is changing constantly, and the variety of vendors keep things lively. Visitors always find a reassure or two to provide a meaningful memento of their time in Alaska.
As Alaska’s oldest antique store, Duane’s Antique Market features a large selection of fine antiques from all over the world. This is where you come for the best available antique furnishings and home accents. Unique items include handcrafted ivory and baleen ships. As a bonus, Duane’s also offers appraisal and restoration services.
As the largest antique store in the country’s largest state, the Lazy Dog is where Anchorage residents go when looking for that elusive item not available anywhere else. You’ll find Gold Rush-era teacups that were carefully packed away in trunks for passage on the great steamships that serviced the gold fields, vintage quilts, Iditarod buttons, and other artifacts from the land of the midnight sun. Can’t make it to Anchorage but need your Alaskan fix? The Lazy Dog offers shipping.
Anchorage’s Antique Gallery specializes in vintage firearms, military memorabilia, Native Alaskan arts and crafts, fine art, and rare U.S. coins and books. As an estate liquidator, the Antique Gallery has an ongoing fresh supply of fine furniture, art, other household items as well as vintage jewelry. The Antique Gallery is renowned in professional decorating circles and is often one of the first sources sought by those looking for old-money elegance.
The Pack Rat Antiques is another multi-dealer shop offering up an eclectic blend of Alaskana from Gold Rush memorabilia to old toys to collectible Iditarod buttons. You’ll also find practical furnishings and household items. Visitors never have the same experience twice at this fun collection of vendors, and it provides an ideal way to while away the hours while wandering through the past.
Alaska Picker in Wasilla provides a clear backward glimpse into the Matanuska Valley’s agricultural roots—but the owners don’t stop there. They travel the state of Alaska on a regular basis seeking items representing Alaska’s history. You might find vintage commercial fishing memorabilia next to an Art Deco writing desk treasured by a young teacher who came to The Last Frontier in Territorial Days. Those seeking reclaimed household fixtures such as windows and doors for current construction projects will find many treasures here.