Feeling the squeeze

Talkeetna entrepreneurs make the best of a tight situation

During the late 1990s Thomas Clark watched as the tourist economy swelled like a Tsunami and rearranged nearly everything in his hometown of Talkeetna.

Main Street was quickly becoming a walking mall during the brief summer tourist season and Clark knew he could take advantage of the boom if he found a business plan that worked. Clark knew a one-hour photo shop could serve both tourists and locals and planned to set up such a shop in Talkeetna. There was just one problem — space along Main Street was at a premium, and Clark needed the location to capture the tourist dollars.

"The issue is having retail space, there isn't any availability of retail space," Clark said. "The second issue is the cost. There is some new retail space opening, but it's very expensive and it doesn't work for the seasonal business."

Motivated by the desire to work for himself, Clark kept thinking about the photo store idea. In 1998 he came up with an outside-the-box solution that Ken Keasey would love.

Frontier Photo is inside a sky blue remodeled school bus, which sits on a sliver of rented land about a quarter block off Main Street. Talkeetna's laissez-faire attitude toward signage allowed Clark to place a free-standing sandwich board on Main Street. The sign matches the blue bus and announces 30-minute photos and e-mail postcards — the two services most popular among customers from out of town.

Other Talkeetna entrepreneurs have approached the congestion issue in equally creative ways. A cursory look at Main Street reveals a simple truth about tourists economies. If there's a privately owned space with enough room for a cash register, someone has likely already put one there.

"The changes are happening in Talkeetna whether we like it or not," said Gina Rice, the owner of Raven's Perch gallery. Rice is tuned in to Talkeetna real estate, as both a business owner and a member of the Talkeetna Historical Society. The historical society operates a museum about two blocks off Main and is working on a plan to purchase Main Street's sole vacant space in order to establish a botanical garden, Rice said.

The museum is adjacent to the downtown airstrip and across the street from where another nonprofit, the Denali Arts Council, is converting an airplane hangar into a theater. The arts council received grant funding form the Mat-Su Borough's bed tax revenues because the theater will, of course, serve tourists and locals alike. One grant was specifically targeted for the theater's restrooms, which will be available to the public from an entryway separate from the main entrance offering availability to people not attending performances. And because the theater will have hangar doors and a movable stage and seats, the performances can be staged for audiences outside its walls.

The Raven's Perch also adapted to Talkeetna's new faster-paced economy. When Rice purchased the gallery in April 2000, it sat between the museum and the Fairview Inn.

"It was like being on the midway at the state fair," Rice said, "but I moved it down here regardless of the business. I have a very strong local following and I nab them all year ‘round."

Rice didn't move the Perch out of downtown, but rather to a building she strategically placed on her mother's front lawn on Main Street's last block, at Main and B streets. She believes the reduced traffic is actually better for the gallery because she relies on fine art purchases, which can be expensive and not likely to sell if customers feel rushed and crowded. The new location gives Rice more time to breathe and attracts customer who spend more time in the store.

"I find that folks are actually overwhelmed when they first come into town, and when they get down to me they can actually clear their heads of everything that they've seen."

Both Rice and Clark say their business strategies keep locals in mind. Clark locks up the blue bus during winter months, but he also helps the people of Talkeetna with things tourists don't ask for, such as photo restoration. Rice keeps locals happy by opening by appointment on winter days and stocking inexpensive gifts such as candles made in Palmer that retail for less than 10 dollars. Rice also said that focusing on locally made items gives the Raven's Perch an edge when locals want to purchase a gift or add a piece of art to their home.

Clark also augments Frontier Photo with his professional photography skills. He sometimes shoots pictures of tourists on river trips and has sold photos to area businesses to be used for marketing. Rice also offered a bit of information that sheds light on how Clark's 2-year-old Frontier Photo has increased the demand for photo processing in Talkeetna just by openening the bus' doors there.

"My daughter's one of his best customers," she said. "She's a 14-year-old who takes pictures of everything."